Fantasy Index Weekly: September 19, 2014 - Friday Supplement (After NFL Injury Report) - 206-527-4444

FANTASY INDEX WEEKLY
Stuff thats happened since the original

newsletter was published on Wednesday
The first half of the St. Louis Rams story,
you might have noticed, was missing in the
Wednesday product. An editing/pasting
error. Its in there now. Not a great team,
but Zac Stacy and Brian Quick should
probably be starters in a lot of 12-team
fantasy leagues. The Rams are playing at
home, and the Dallas defense (while
surprisingly good in Weeks 1-2) could still
potentially fall apart in a big way. Stacy
looks like a possible top-10 back, while
Quick is their clear No. 1 receiver. The Rams
probably will be without Tavon Austin this
week; he suffered a knee injury at Tampa
Bay and didnt practice on Wednesday or
Thursday. He did some limited work on
Friday, but with him not being a big part of
that offense anyway, theres not need to try
to rush him back. Shaun Hill (quad) is
questionable and was limited each day in
practice. Jeff Fisher says Hill is the teams
starting quarterback, but Austin Davis won
and played reasonably well last week, and
hes definitely more healthy. It will be a
game-time decision, and were guessing
Davis will get that game-time nod (with Hill
also active). Corey Harkey (a fullback and
tight end) is questionable with a knee injury.
The Cardinals are going without Carson
Palmer (shoulder). Drew Stanton will start.
This is a game changer. Palmer had 298
and 407 yards in the two games against
San Francisco last year (against better
49ers defenses) but Stanton doesnt have
that kind of ability. Stanton last week went
only 14 of 29 for 167 against the Giants. So
this is a big downgrade for the likes of Larry
Fitzgerald and especially Michael Floyd.
With Fitzgerald, at least there was some
rapport there last week; he caught 6 passes
for 51 yards and one near touchdown that
was reversed to a catch to the 1-yard line.
Floyd thrives on the deeper balls that are
harder to connect on. Stanton went only 1 of
6 thrown to Floyd last week, for 19 yards.
Also with Arizona, it placed Jonathan Dwyer
on a reserve list after charges that he head-
butted his wife. Its like injured reserve, in
that Dwyer cant return to Arizona this year.
His NFL career is almost certainly over. Guys
with some talent (Adrian Peterson, Ray Rice)
might get second chances. Jonathan Dwyers
do not. He carried 9 times for 31 yards and
a touchdown last week as their No. 2 back.
Stepfan Taylor moves into that role behind
Andre Ellington (whos probable this week
with the foot injury). Cardinals should also
be without tight end Rob Housler (hip).
Earlier in the week we were working under
the assumption that A.J. Green (toe)
wouldnt play. Thats not the case. Hes
probable and practiced fully on Friday.
Theres a chance that maybe this injury
flares up or whatever, but Green has too
much upside to be left out of fantasy
lineups. Possible top-3 receiver. Helps Andy
Dalton. Bengals wont have Marvin Jones or
Tyler Eifert, as expected.
The Texans have classified Arian Foster
(hamstring) as questionable. He was limited
in practice all week. Not a huge deal. If
Foster was truly injured, he would have been
held out entirely on at least one of those
games. But Foster has a history of
hamstring injuries, and hes been carrying
an awfully large load the first two weeks.
They could spell him a little more on Sunday.
Theres also the troubling issue that hes
been running against weak run defense. On
Sunday hes on the road against a Giants
defense thats been solid against the run in
its first two games. It could be the perfect
time to trade Foster. If you want to use a
roster spot to fish for the tailback wholl
start when Foster gets hurt this year, its
Alfred Blue. Blue appears to have separated
himself from Jonathan Grimes and Ronnie
Brown and is higher on the teams depth
chart.
Kansas City is calling Jamaal Charles (ankle)
questionable. He was limited at practice on
Thursday and Friday. This is all a surprise,
considering they were saying early in the
week that he had a high-ankle sprain (which
generally sidelines guys for about a month).
We dont expect hell play, and hell be a
high-risk guy even if he does. They have a
capable backup (Knile Davis) so the more
logical course would be to hold Charles out,
let him get healthier, and bring him back in
Week 4. Thats how we believe it will play
out. Adding a dimension to this is the kickoff
time. Its an East Coast game, but its got a
late start, so those with Charles (and Davis)
might not have the benefit on Sunday in the
a.m. of knowing whether guys will be active.
Theres a chance Charles wont travel with
the team, and if it goes down that way, well
post something on the website. Only other
notable injury here is DeAnthony Thomas
(hamstring), who is out. Thomas will give a
spark to the special teams when he is
healthy.
Washington wont have Jordan Reed
(hamstring) so if youre looking for a fill-in
tight end, Niles Paul is your guy. Hes been
piling up the catches the last two weeks.
Same kind of player. As a bonus (for Paul)
DeSean Jackson looks iffy to play and very
doubtful to have much of an impact. With
the shoulder injury, he didnt practice at all
on Wednesday or Thursday and was limited
on Friday. This is an early kickoff, so youll
be able to check/confirm his status on
Sunday in the a.m. Jackson is questionable.
Washington kicker Kai Forbath (groin) is
also questionable, so confirm his status on
the off chance you want to use him. They
potentially would have to sign a kicker to
replace him on Saturday. In that same
game, Josh Huff is doubtful for Philadelphia,
which is no big deal.
Baltimore is calling Bernard Pierce (thigh)
questionable, but he was a limited
participant at practice on Thursday and
Friday. He should play. The risk with Pierce
is that if hes ineffective early (like we was in
the preseason and in Week 1) the Ravens
might switch to Justin Forsett. But Pierce
should be fine. Those planning on using him
should check to ensure hes active on
Sunday in the a.m.
Some in larger leagues may have been
kicking around the possibility of plugging
Jerricho Cotchery this week, with him
playing against his former team. But
September 19, 2014 Friday Supplement (after NFL injury report) 206-527-4444
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Cotchery is questionable with a hamstring
injury and didnt practice at all on Friday.
Too much risk and not enough reward.
DeAngelo Williams and Jason Avant are
also questionable with hamstring injuries,
but they were at least able to put in limited
practices on Friday. They apparently have a
better chance of playing (but again, not
much upside). With Williams situation, we
expect it will be Jonathan Stewart getting
most of the tailback work for Carolina. He
wont necessarily be their goal-line guy. He
scored a short touchdown against Detroit,
but that was on the play after Mike Tolbert
left the game with a chest injury. Tolbert is
probable and practiced fully on Friday.
Keenan Allen (groin) might have injured
himself at practice on Wednesday. He
wasnt on their initial injury report, then was
limited on Thursday and Friday. Should play,
but might not be 100 percent. That narrows
the gap between him and the teams other
wide receivers. Chargers wont have Ryan
Mathews (knee) for about a month.
Miami wont have Knowshon Moreno
(elbow). Tight end Charles Clay (knee) is
questionable, but he was able to do some
work in practice all week (limited all week).
As with Kansas City, you work without a
safety net on Clay. Its a late start, so you
dont quite know for sure that hell be
active. But chances are hell be fine. Lamar
Miller (ankle) was banged up in the Buffalo
game, but hes not even on the injury
report.
Both of San Franciscos top tight ends are
questionable, and neither practiced all
week. Vernon Davis (ankle) and Vance
McDonald (knee). This should adversely
affect the teams running game. And
sounds like theyll plug in Derek Carrier as
their starting tight end. Carrier was on the
roster last year for five games as a free
agent rookie. He caught 3 passes for 41
yards last week.
Both of Buffalos starting receivers are
probable. Sammy Watkins (ribs) practiced
fully all week. Robert Woods (ankle) didnt
practice on Thursday and was limited on
Wednesday and Friday. This guys are fine,
we think.
Allen Hurns was hurt on the last play of
Jacksonvilles last game, but hes fine. He
practiced fully on Friday and is probable.
Hell definitely start this week because the
Jaguars will be without Marqise Lee
(hamstring), who is out. The teams top 3
receiving threats in this game should be
Hurns, Cecil Shorts III and Allen Robinson.
Shorts is probable and practiced fully on
Friday. Clay Harbor should replace
Marcedes Lewis (wholl spend half of the
season on injured reserve) but Harbor could
be rusty and not completely healthy. Harbor
is questionable and was limited in practice
on both Thursday and Friday. Harbor hasnt
played yet this year (he has no fantasy
value).
The Browns have declared Ben Tate (knee)
out. Theyre going with Terrance West at
tailback again. Jordan Cameron (shoulder)
is questionable. Cameron practiced some
all week, so he should play. Tough defense
hell face, though, and he caught only 1
pass for 4 yards in his last game against
them.
Recall that the Giants put Jerrel Jernigan
on injured reserve. Hes out for the year.
This makes Odell Beckham worthy of a
stash roster spot. Once the 12th pick of the
draft is healthy and acclimated, he might
add an explosive element to that offense.
But Beckham is still dealing with a
hamstring injury and didnt practice all
week, so it will be Corey Washington in the
No. 3 role against Houston.
Dez Bryant suffered a shoulder injury in the
Tennessee game. He landed hard on it
after a catch. But hes questionable and
practiced some on Thursday and Friday, so
he should be fine. Tony Romo (back) is
probable, but he practiced fully on Thursday
and Friday. Backup running back Joseph
Randle (concussion) is questionable and
didnt practice on Wednesday or Thursday.
The Steelers are pretty much healthy.
Lance Moore is probable with a groin injury.
Hell play and be their No. 3 receiver this
week. Dri Archer (ankle) is at least another
week away; hes doubtful. When Archer is
healthy, theyll work him in as a change-of-
pace receiver and runner, getting him a few
touches per game and having him return
kickoffs.
The Patriots look pretty healthy. Shane
Vereen (shoulder) is questionable, but he
practiced some all week. Maybe they give a
few of his snaps to rookie James White
(whos the same kind of back). That would
make sense if the game gets out of hand.
But we believe Vereen is fine. Julian
Edelman (back) and Rob Gronkowski
(knee) are both probable and have been
practicing for most of the week.
Two big names on Oaklands report,
Maurice Jones-Drew (hand) and Rod
Streater (hip) are both questionable. Jones-
Drew practiced some on both Thursday and
Friday. Those using him will need to double-
check on Sunday, but thats a strong
indication hell play (sharing time with
Darren McFadden). Streater didnt practice
at all until putting in a limited workout on
Friday. Hes more likely to be relegated to a
part-time role (hes normally a starter).
Denver at Seattle is a big game. But no
notable injuries on either side. Both teams
are healthy. Only five times previously have
Super Bowl combatants played again the
next year (and not since Green Bay hosted
New England in the mid-90s). In three of
the previous five rematches, the champion
won again. One sort-of notable injury
(maybe). Kicker Brandon McManus is
probable with a groin injury. With his leg
maybe hurting a little, it makes it more
likely that Percy Harvin will get to return
some kickoffs, and he might be the
leagues best in that regard.
No big injuries for the Packers-Lions game.
For Green Bay, right tackle Bryan Bulaga
(knee) is questionable, but he was a limited
participant at practice all week. For the
Lions, Joique Bell (knee) is probable.
The Colts look healthy. Hakeem Nicks
(illness) didnt practice on Thursday or
Friday, but he should be in reasonable
shape by Sunday. Hes questionable. Hes
their only notable injury.
The Vikings dont have any notable injuries.
Theyve released Jerome Simpson, who
would have been their No. 3 receiver when
his league suspension ended on Monday.
In todays climate with increased
sensitivity to off-field transgressions
Simpson is unlikely to get another NFL
contract.
The Saints wont have Mark Ingram (hand)
or Erik Lorig (ankle), but everyone knew
that.
The Titans look healthy. Dexter McCluster
had a foot issue earlier in the week, but
hes probable.
Well cover the Monday night injuries on
Saturday. Right now it doesnt look good for
Eric Decker (hamstring); he hasnt
practiced. For the Bears, Brandon Marshall
(ankle) hasnt practiced but was the same
last week and caught 3 TDs. Alshon Jeffery
(hamstring) should play. Hes been limited
in practice. But Jeffery clearly wasnt 100
percent at San Francisco. Bears will be
missing a starter center and a starting
guard.
Fantasy Index Weekly (supplement after Friday injury report) September 19, 2014
Phone: 206-527-4444 Web Orders: www.fantasyindex.com September 19, 2014
Copyright 2014. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Rankings based on 6 points for TDs, 4 for TD passes, 1 point per 10 rush/rec yards,
and 1 point for 20 passing yards. Defenses receive 6 points for TDs (kick or turnover), 2 for takeaways and 1 for sacks. To
customize rankings, go to Your Stuff at the website. Updated through7 p.m. ET, September 19, 2014.
1. DET Calvin Johnson
2. ATL J.Jones (Thur. Proj.)
3. NO Jimmy Graham (TE)
4. CIN A.J. Green
5. GB Jordy Nelson
6. GB Randall Cobb
7. PIT Antonio Brown
8. DAL Dez Bryant
9. CHI Brandon Marshall
10. DENDemaryius Thomas
11. MIA Mike Wallace
12. ATL Douglas (Thur. Proj.)
13. NE Julian Edelman
14. SEA Percy Harvin
15. MIN Cordarrelle Patterson
16. CAR Greg Olsen (TE)
17. HOUAndre Johnson
18. NO Brandin Cooks
19. DENJulius Thomas (TE)
20. TB V.Jackson (Thur. Proj.)
21. BAL Steve Smith
22. JAC Allen Hurns
23. STL Brian Quick
24. CAR Kelvin Benjamin
25. SF Anquan Boldin
26. ARI Larry Fitzgerald
27. CHI Alshon Jeffery
28. NYGVictor Cruz
29. DET Golden Tate
30. DENEmmanuel Sanders
31. BUF Sammy Watkins
32. DAL Terrance Williams
33. SF Michael Crabtree
34. PHI Jeremy Maclin
35. IND Reggie Wayne
36. PIT Markus Wheaton
37. NO Marques Colston
38. TB Evans (Thur. Proj.)
39. NE Rob Gronkowski (TE)
40. CIN Mohamed Sanu
41. WASD.Jackson (if active)
42. SD Keenan Allen
43. CHI Martellus Bennett (TE)
44. JAC Cecil Shorts III
45. ATL Hester (Thur. Proj.)
46. DENWes Welker
47. NYGRueben Randle
48. MIN Greg Jennings
49. MIN Kyle Rudolph (TE)
50. CLE Andrew Hawkins
51. WASPierre Garcon
52. HOUDeAndre Hopkins
53. IND T.Y. Hilton
54. PHI Zach Ertz (TE)
55. SEA Doug Baldwin
56. TEN Delanie Walker (TE)
57. WASNiles Paul (TE)
58. CLE Jordan Cameron (TE)
59. KC Dwayne Bowe
60. SD Antonio Gates (TE)
61. ARI Michael Floyd
62. BAL Dennis Pitta (TE)
63. GB Davante Adams
64. NO Kenny Stills
65. MIA Charles Clay (TE)
66. SD Malcom Floyd
67. NYGLarry Donnell (TE)
68. NYJ Jeremy Kerley
69. BAL Torrey Smith
70. JAC Allen Robinson
71. PIT Heath Miller (TE)
72. BUF Robert Woods
73. TEN Justin Hunter
74. SD Eddie Royal
75. MIA Brian Hartline
76. NE Aaron Dobson
77. SEA Jermaine Kearse
78. CIN Jermaine Gresham (TE)
79. CLE Miles Austin
80. WASAndre Roberts
1. DAL DeMarco Murray
2. CIN Giovani Bernard
3. KC Davis (if Charles out)
4. SEA Marshawn Lynch
5. HOUArian Foster
6. PHI LeSean McCoy
7. MIA Lamar Miller
8. NYGRashad Jennings
9. TB Rainey (Thur. Proj.)
10. KC Davis (current)
11. STL Zac Stacy
12. WASAlfred Morris
13. KC Charles (if active)
14. CHI Matt Forte
15. PIT LeVeon Bell
16. SD Donald Brown
17. NYJ Chris Johnson
18. BAL Bernard Pierce
19. DET Joique Bell
20. NE Stevan Ridley
21. GB Eddie Lacy
22. CLE Terrance West
23. DET Reggie Bush
24. NO Khiry Robinson
25. NO Pierre Thomas
26. PHI Darren Sproles
27. DENMontee Ball
28. ARI Andre Ellington
29. IND Ahmad Bradshaw
30. MIN Matt Asiata
31. CAR Jonathan Stewart
32. NE Shane Vereen
33. BUF C.J. Spiller
34. BUF Fred Jackson
35. SD Danny Woodhead
36. NYJ Chris Ivory
37. SF Frank Gore
38. ATL S.Jackson (Thur. Proj.)
39. CIN Jeremy Hill
40. JAC Toby Gerhart
41. IND Trent Richardson
42. BAL Justin Forsett
43. TEN Shonn Greene
44. OAK Maurice Jones-Drew
45. TEN Dexter McCluster
46. STL Benny Cunningham
47. NYGAndre Williams
48. SF Carlos Hyde
49. MIN Jerick McKinnon
50. CAR Williams (if active)
51. OAK Darren McFadden
52. CLE Isaiah Crowell
53. ATL Rodgers (Thur. Proj.)
54. ATL Freeman (Thur. Proj.)
55. CAR Mike Tolbert
56. DAL Lance Dunbar
57. TEN Bishop Sankey
58. MIA Damien Williams
59. CAR Williams (current)
60. WASRoy Helu Jr.
61. ARI Stepfan Taylor
62. ATL A.Smith (Thur. Proj.)
63. NE Brandon Bolden
64. NO Travaris Cadet
65. GB James Starks
66. DENC.J. Anderson
67. JAC Denard Robinson
68. KC Charles (current)
69. PIT LeGarrette Blount
RUNNING BACKS
WEEK 3 RANKINGS
RECEIVERS (WR & TE)
WEEK 3 RANKINGS
1. NO Jimmy Graham
2. CAR Greg Olsen
3. DENJulius Thomas
4. NE Rob Gronkowski
5. CHI Martellus Bennett
6. MIN Kyle Rudolph
7. PHI Zach Ertz
8. TEN Delanie Walker
9. WASNiles Paul
10. CLE Jordan Cameron
11. SD Antonio Gates
12. BAL Dennis Pitta
13. MIA Charles Clay
14. NYGLarry Donnell
15. PIT Heath Miller
16. CIN Jermaine Gresham
17. STL Jared Cook
18. DAL Jason Witten
19. PHI Brent Celek
20. ATL Toilolo (Thur. Proj.)
21. SF Derek Carrier
22. KC Travis Kelce
23. BAL Owen Daniels
24. IND Coby Fleener
25. SEA Zach Miller
26. KC Anthony Fasano
27. IND Dwayne Allen
28. OAK Mychal Rivera
29. NYJ Jeff Cumberland
30. JAC Clay Harbor
31. BUF Scott Chandler
32. SD Ladarius Green
33. TB Myers (Thur. Proj.)
TIGHT ENDS
WEEK 3 RANKINGS
1. NE Stephen Gostkowski
2. SEA Steven Hauschka
3. ATL Bryant (Thur. Proj.)
4. IND Adam Vinatieri
5. NO Shayne Graham
6. PHI Cody Parkey
7. CIN Mike Nugent
8. BAL Justin Tucker
9. DAL Dan Bailey
10. CAR Graham Gano
11. MIA Caleb Sturgis
12. SF Phil Dawson
13. STL Greg Zuerlein
14. BUF Dan Carpenter
15. CLE Billy Cundiff
16. GB Mason Crosby
17. NYGJosh Brown
18. DET Nate Freese
19. SD Nick Novak
20. NYJ Nick Folk
21. ARI Chandler Catanzaro
22. CHI Robbie Gould
23. DENBrandon McManus
24. HOURandy Bullock
25. MIN Blair Walsh
26. TEN Ryan Succop
27. JAC Josh Scobee
28. WASForbath (if active)
29. KC Cairo Santos
30. PIT Shaun Suisham
31. TB Murray (Thur. Proj.)
KICKERS
WEEK 3 RANKINGS
1. BAL Baltimore
2. NE New England
3. MIA Miami
4. CAR Carolina
5. KC Kansas City
6. NO New Orleans
7. HOUHouston
8. PHI Philadelphia
9. CIN Cincinnati
10. GB Green Bay
11. CLE Cleveland
12. WASWashington
13. SF San Francisco
14. DET Detroit
15. BUF Buffalo
16. IND Indianapolis
17. SEA Seattle
18. JAC Jacksonville
19. SD San Diego
20. CHI Chicago
21. DAL Dallas
22. STL St. Louis
23. ARI Arizona
24. NYGNY Giants
25. DENDenver
26. MIN Minnesota
27. NYJ NY Jets
28. PIT Pittsburgh
29. TEN Tennessee
30. TB Tampa Bay (Wed. proj.)
31. ATL Atlanta (Wed. proj.)
32. OAK Oakland
DEFENSE / SPECIAL TEAMS
WEEK 3 RANKINGS
1. NO Drew Brees
2. GB Aaron Rodgers
3. PHI Nick Foles
4. IND Andrew Luck
5. ATL Ryan (Thur. Proj.)
6. CAR Cam Newton
7. DET Matthew Stafford
8. SEA Russell Wilson
9. DENPeyton Manning
10. NE Tom Brady
11. CIN Andy Dalton
12. SD Philip Rivers
13. SF Colin Kaepernick
14. CHI Jay Cutler
15. MIA Ryan Tannehill
16. DAL Tony Romo
17. BAL Joe Flacco
18. PIT Ben Roethlisberger
19. WASKirk Cousins
20. KC Alex Smith
21. JAC Chad Henne
22. TEN Jake Locker
23. NYJ Geno Smith
24. NYGEli Manning
25. STL Davis (if Hill out)
26. STL S.Hill (if active)
27. BUF EJ Manuel
28. TB McCown (Thur. Proj.)
29. MIN Matt Cassel
30. HOURyan Fitzpatrick
31. ARI Drew Stanton
32. CLE Brian Hoyer
QUARTERBACKS
WEEK 3 RANKINGS
YARDAGE+TD
SCORING
SYSTEM
Copyright 2014. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Rankings based on 6 points for TDs, 4 for TD passes, 1 per 10 rush/rec yards, and 1
for 20 passing yards, plus 1 point for each catch. Defenses score 6 for TDs on returns (turnovers & kicks), 2 for takeaways, 1
for sacks and .5 per point opponent scores under 24. Updated through7 p.m. ET, September 19, 2014.
4. CIN A.J. Green
5. GB Jordy Nelson
6. GB Randall Cobb
9. DAL Dez Bryant
16. SEA Percy Harvin
18. BAL Steve Smith
23. NYGVictor Cruz
25. DET Golden Tate
27. STL Brian Quick
30. JAC Allen Hurns
33. DENWes Welker
45. SD Keenan Allen
56. KC Dwayne Bowe
61. IND T.Y. Hilton
66. NYJ Jeremy Kerley
67. SD Eddie Royal
69. CLE Miles Austin
70. DAL Jason Witten (TE)
72. SD Malcom Floyd
73. BUF Robert Woods
75. TEN Kendall Wright
79. STL Jared Cook (TE)
6. PHI LeSean McCoy
7. MIA Lamar Miller
8. HOUArian Foster
11. CHI Matt Forte
12. PIT LeVeon Bell
16. SD Donald Brown
17. DET Reggie Bush
18. STL Zac Stacy
21. DET Joique Bell
22. GB Eddie Lacy
25. DENMontee Ball
26. NE Shane Vereen
32. MIN Matt Asiata
36. CIN Jeremy Hill
38. SF Frank Gore
42. NYJ Chris Ivory
53. SF Carlos Hyde
56. WASRoy Helu Jr.
64. WASDarrel Young
65. GB James Starks
67. JAC Denard Robinson
68. OAK Marcel Reece
69. KC Charles (current)
RUNNING BACKS
WEEK 3 RANKINGS
RECEIVERS (WR & TE)
WEEK 3 RANKINGS
1. NO Jimmy Graham
2. CAR Greg Olsen
3. DENJulius Thomas
5. MIN Kyle Rudolph
6. WASNiles Paul
8. PHI Zach Ertz
12. SD Antonio Gates
18. STL Jared Cook
19. PHI Brent Celek
20. KC Travis Kelce
27. SEA Zach Miller
31. JAC Clay Harbor
33. STL Lance Kendricks
TIGHT ENDS
WEEK 3 RANKINGS
5. NO Shayne Graham
6. PHI Cody Parkey
7. CIN Mike Nugent
9. DAL Dan Bailey
10. CAR Graham Gano
12. SF Phil Dawson
16. GB Mason Crosby
17. NYGJosh Brown
18. DET Nate Freese
19. SD Nick Novak
20. NYJ Nick Folk
25. MIN Blair Walsh
26. TEN Ryan Succop
27. JAC Josh Scobee
29. KC Cairo Santos
KICKERS
WEEK 3 RANKINGS
1. CAR Carolina
2. NE New England
3. MIA Miami
4. NO New Orleans
5. BAL Baltimore
6. SF San Francisco
7. PHI Philadelphia
8. CIN Cincinnati
9. IND Indianapolis
10. KC Kansas City
11. NYGNY Giants
12. CLE Cleveland
13. HOUHouston
14. ARI Arizona
15. SD San Diego
16. CHI Chicago
17. NYJ NY Jets
18. DAL Dallas
19. PIT Pittsburgh
20. GB Green Bay
21. BUF Buffalo
22. SEA Seattle
23. STL St. Louis
26. DET Detroit
27. WASWashington
28. TEN Tennessee
29. DENDenver
31. MIN Minnesota
32. OAK Oakland
WEEK 3 RANKINGS
1. NO Drew Brees
2. GB Aaron Rodgers
3. PHI Nick Foles
4. IND Andrew Luck
6. CAR Cam Newton
10. NE Tom Brady
11. CIN Andy Dalton
14. CHI Jay Cutler
16. DAL Tony Romo
17. BAL Joe Flacco
19. WASKirk Cousins
20. KC Alex Smith
21. JAC Chad Henne
22. TEN Jake Locker
23. NYJ Geno Smith
24. NYGEli Manning
27. BUF EJ Manuel
29. MIN Matt Cassel
32. CLE Brian Hoyer
QUARTERBACKS
WEEK 3 RANKINGS
POINTS PER
RECEPTION
SYSTEM
Copyright 2014. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Rankings based on 6 points for TDs and 4 for TD passes. Kicking points are
standard. Defenses receive 6 points for TDs (kick or turnover). To customize rankings, go to fantasyindex.com, select Your
Stuff and drag down to Scoring Systems tab. Updated through7 p.m. ET, September 19, 2014.
4. GB Randall Cobb
6. DAL Dez Bryant
7. GB Jordy Nelson
8. SEA Percy Harvin
9. CIN A.J. Green
22. JAC Allen Hurns
32. NYGVictor Cruz
35. DENWes Welker
36. STL Brian Quick
37. BAL Steve Smith
41. DET Golden Tate
46. NO Kenny Stills
50. SEA Jermaine Kearse
51. SD Keenan Allen
52. ATL Toilolo (TE) (Thur. Proj.)
54. IND T.Y. Hilton
59. SEA Zach Miller (TE)
64. NE Aaron Dobson
74. KC Anthony Fasano (TE)
76. IND Hakeem Nicks
77. SD Malcom Floyd
80. CAR Cotchery (if active)
2. PHI LeSean McCoy
6. HOUArian Foster
7. MIA Lamar Miller
10. STL Zac Stacy
17. DET Joique Bell
18. SD Donald Brown
19. CHI Matt Forte
20. GB Eddie Lacy
21. DET Reggie Bush
23. CIN Jeremy Hill
29. NYJ Chris Ivory
31. NE Shane Vereen
33. MIN Matt Asiata
34. SF Frank Gore
35. DENMontee Ball
37. PIT LeVeon Bell
47. SF Carlos Hyde
48. NE James Develin
52. WASDarrel Young
65. PIT LeGarrette Blount
67. GB James Starks
68. WASRoy Helu Jr.
69. GB John Kuhn
RUNNING BACKS
WEEK 3 RANKINGS
RECEIVERS (WR & TE)
WEEK 3 RANKINGS
1. NO Jimmy Graham
2. DENJulius Thomas
4. CAR Greg Olsen
6. MIN Kyle Rudolph
7. SD Antonio Gates
11. SEA Zach Miller
15. WASNiles Paul
16. PHI Zach Ertz
24. STL Jared Cook
27. PHI Brent Celek
28. JAC Clay Harbor
30. STL Lance Kendricks
31. KC Travis Kelce
TIGHT ENDS
WEEK 3 RANKINGS
5. NO Shayne Graham
6. PHI Cody Parkey
7. CIN Mike Nugent
9. DAL Dan Bailey
10. CAR Graham Gano
12. SF Phil Dawson
16. GB Mason Crosby
17. NYGJosh Brown
18. DET Nate Freese
19. SD Nick Novak
20. NYJ Nick Folk
25. MIN Blair Walsh
26. TEN Ryan Succop
27. JAC Josh Scobee
29. KC Cairo Santos
KICKERS
WEEK 3 RANKINGS
1. BAL Baltimore
2. MIA Miami
3. NE New England
4. CIN Cincinnati
5. MIN Minnesota
6. CAR Carolina
7. CLE Cleveland
8. ARI Arizona
9. BUF Buffalo
10. SEA Seattle
11. NO New Orleans
12. DET Detroit
13. WASWashington
14. HOUHouston
15. CHI Chicago
16. NYJ NY Jets
17. GB Green Bay
18. PHI Philadelphia
19. STL St. Louis
21. TEN Tennessee
22. SF San Francisco
23. KC Kansas City
24. NYGNY Giants
25. DAL Dallas
27. IND Indianapolis
28. SD San Diego
30. DENDenver
31. PIT Pittsburgh
32. OAK Oakland
WEEK 3 RANKINGS
1. NO Drew Brees
3. GB Aaron Rodgers
4. IND Andrew Luck
7. NE Tom Brady
8. CAR Cam Newton
9. PHI Nick Foles
11. CIN Andy Dalton
12. CHI Jay Cutler
14. DAL Tony Romo
16. BAL Joe Flacco
18. JAC Chad Henne
19. WASKirk Cousins
20. NYJ Geno Smith
21. BUF EJ Manuel
23. NYGEli Manning
24. MIN Matt Cassel
28. TEN Jake Locker
30. KC Alex Smith
32. OAK Derek Carr
QUARTERBACKS
WEEK 3 RANKINGS
TD-ONLY
SCORING
SYSTEM
ARIZONA (vs. S.F.):
Were all conditioned to be afraid of San
Franciscos defense. Only Seattle and
Carolina allowed fewer points last year. But
this isnt really the same group. Aldon
Smith is suspended, NaVorro Bowman is
down, and there are holes in the
secondary. DeMarco Murray ran for 118
yards against them in Week 1, and Jay
Cutler came alive to toss 4 TDs on Sunday
night. With this game being in Arizona, this
really looks like more of an average
matchup for the Cardinals maybe even
better than average. The Cardinals need
Carson Palmer to be healthy, of course.
Hes expected to return from a shoulder
injury, but its not certain. Assuming he
gets a clean bill of health, he should have
a big day against this defense. Hes got a
great cast of receivers, and Arizona doesnt
run the ball all that well. Even against a
much better San Francisco defense last
year, Palmer was effective. He passed for
298 yards and 2 TDs when Arizona lost 32-
20 at Candlestick, and he passed for 407
yards and 2 TDs when the 49ers won the
rematch 23-20 in the final week of the
season. Were putting Palmer down for 275
yards and a couple of touchdowns, and
hes one of the few quarterbacks with a
realistic chance of going for 3-plus
touchdowns this week. Thats how far the
49ers have fallen. If, come Friday, it looks
like theres a pretty good chance Drew
Stanton will have to fill in, that will be a
significant, game-changing hit. He wasnt
accurate enough at New York. For now,
were projecting all of these guys as if
Palmer is playing. The 49ers dont have
enough pass rush, and they dont have
quality corners, so its an appealing
matchup for the wide receivers. San
Francisco simply doesnt have anyone who
matches up well with Larry Fitzgerald and
Michael Floyd. They combined for 11
catches, 161 yards and 2 TDs in the first
game last year. In the rematch, they went
for 12 catches for 204 yards. Playing on a
bad ankle, Brandon Marshall caught 3 TDs
against this defense on Sunday night.
Thats the kind of potential were talking
about. You start the big guns, and John
Brown looks like one of the better No. 3
receivers. Arizona is playing a bunch of
different guys at tight end, and none look
viable. With the kind of firepower Arizona
has in its passing game, that makes Andre
Ellington, bad foot and all, a viable option.
The 49ers cant really afford to make him
much of a priority, given that theyre
dealing with Palmer and the receivers. Its
kind of like the Denver running backs with
Peyton Manning. Ellington ran for 91 yards
against the Giants on Sunday. Hes also a
run-catch guy. Jonathan Dwyer will spell
him and punch in any potential 1-yard
touchdowns. Were sticking Chandler
Catanzaro in the middle of the pack at
kicker. If we were more confident the
Cardinals would win this thing, hed be
higher. Hes scored 6 and 13 points in his
first two games. Were also playing it
conservative with the Cardinals Defense.
Colin Kaepernick was pretty awful on
Sunday night, with 4 sacks, 3 interceptions
and a lost fumble. But thats unusual for
that offense. He threw only 8 interceptions
all of last year. Arizonas defense has
taken some hits, and it sacked Kaepernick
only twice in each of the games last year.
Ted Ginn had a nice punt-return touchdown
last week, but lets not get too excited. His
last previous kick return touchdown was
over three years ago.
ATLANTA (vs. T.B.):
The Falcons got smacked around in
Cincinnati, but this is a better matchup.
The opposing defense isnt as tough, plus
their offense is much better at home. In
nine home games dating back to the start
of last season, theyve averaged 24 points,
6 more than on the road. Divisional games
on a short week (this is the Thursday
game) have historically tended to be lower-
scoring, but note that these teams
combined for 54 and 69 points in splitting
the series a year ago, so the offenses
seem to match up well against each
others defense. The previous seasons
games were more reasonable: 24-23 in
Tampa, 22-17 in Atlanta. Matt Ryan
was sacked twice and threw 3
interceptions last week. Not all the
mistakes were his fault, but thats the kind
of game hell have on occasion given the
protection he wont get behind a lesser
offensive line. Jake Matthews is just a
rookie, but hes a much better blindside
protector than Gabe Carimi, who was
forced to fill in last week. Good news for
Ryan: Matthews (ankle) put in a full
practice on Tuesday and is expected to
return for this game. Ryan faces a Tampa
Bay defense thats allowed an average of
235 passing yards in its first two games,
which seems OK until you consider the
opposing quarterbacks have been Derek
Anderson and Austin Davis the Bucs
actually made both of those guys look
pretty good. Neither Carolina nor St. Louis
has anything close to the receiving corps
Ryan has, either. Ryan threw for 448 yards
and 3 TDs in Week 1, though he struggled
against Cincinnatis top-notch defense last
week (231, 1). Well split the difference
and go with slightly above-average numbers
for him. He averaged 264 yards and threw
5 TDs in the series last year, which looks
like a good target area. Julio Jones is in
the discussion for the best receiver in the
league. Consider that in his last eight
games dating back to Atlantas playoff
loss after the 2012 season hes caught
11, 7, 11, 9, 6, 8, 7 and 7 passes for 966
yards and 5 TDs. Over a full season that
works out to 132 receptions, 1,932 yards
and 10 TDs, and Jones hasnt been under
76 yards in any of them. Jones has 19
catches for 394 yards and 3 TDs in four
career games against Tampa Bay. Roddy
White is a trickier case. He scored in his
lone game against Tampa Bay last year
(Jones missed that contest), but hasnt
scored in any of the four Bucs games that
Jones also appeared in. One big game (9
for 140 at Tampa Bay in 2011), but
otherwise hes caught 4, 5 and 5 passes
for 69, 57 and 42 yards. Hes been the
clear secondary option since Jones
emergence. Not that White wont also be
good, but Jones should be better. Both
wideouts are dealing with injuries, but
Jones (ankle) practiced fully on Tuesday.
White (hamstring) didnt, but the Falcons
indicate hell play. Still, another reason to
like Jones a little more. The Falcons are
also throwing to their third and fourth
receivers, Harry Douglas and Devin Hester.
Both were good in Week 1, then Douglas
was thrown to 8 times at Cincinnati. In
deeper leagues, and given that Atlanta
wont throw much to its tight end (and
doesnt have a strong ground game),
Douglas makes some sense, but Tampa
Bay will need to contain Jones and White
first. And were not sure they can:
Opposing No. 1s Kelvin Benjamin (92
yards) and Brian Quick (74) have been very
good against this defense so far. Levine
Toilolo caught 2 short passes last week
and let a third bounce off his hands for an
interception. Hell be an occasional end-
zone target, but otherwise not a big part of
the passing game. The Bucs got lit up by
Greg Olsen in the opener, but Toilolo isnt
in his league. Steven Jackson got two-
thirds of the running back carries and
averaged 4.2 per attempt last week. If the
ball winds up near the goal line, hes the
September 17, 2014 Vol. 23, No. 3 PO Box 15277, Seattle, WA 98115 206-527-4444
most likely back to score. But with Jacquizz
Rodgers getting a third of the carries, and
Devonta Freeman and Antone Smith more
involved as receivers, theres not a lot of
upside with Jackson. Through two games
he has exactly half the running back
chances on a team that finish in the
bottom 10 in rushing. Tampa Bay is
allowing 116 rushing yards per game,
which suggests a good game for Jackson
will be in the neighborhood of 70 yards.
Jackson rushed for just 41 yards in his
lone game against this defense a year ago,
at Tampa; in the home game, Rodgers
caught 8 passes including a pair of
touchdowns. Matt Bryant looks OK;
hes at home, and theres a good chance
the Falcons will score some points and win
this game. The Falcons Defense is the
only team yet to record a sack. That wont
continue, but its difficult to get excited
about putting them into a lineup until they
do something to merit it. Devin Hester
gives the return game some potential, so
theres that.
BALTIMORE (at Clev.):
The Ravens have owned the Browns
recently, winning 11 of the last 12, but
their offense hasnt dominated in any of
those games. Baltimore scored only 14
and 18 points when the teams split last
year, The Ravens won all six in the
previous three years, but scored only 20-
25 points in all of those games no big
blowouts. With this game being in
Cleveland, modest production is to be
expect. The casinos have this game as a
pick em, with an over-under of 41 points.
Bernard Pierce has been so-so thus far.
He struggled in August, got benched in
Week 1, and struggled for much of the
Pittsburgh game before ultimately muscling
out 96 yards on 22 carries with some
better runs in the second half. Hes a
pretty ordinary guy, and hell be spelled by
Justin Forsett (who offers more quickness
in his change-of-pace role). Pierce is a
liability in the passing game. But we have
some interest. Baltimores backs and
blockers are still getting used to Gary
Kubiaks zone-blocking scheme, and this
defense theyll face isnt as good against
the run as either of Baltimores first two
opponents. LeVeon Bell, Mark Ingram and
Pierre Thomas all averaged over 5 yards
per carry against this defense. The
Steelers ran for 127 yards, and the Saints
ran for 174. The Browns ranked 18th in
run defense last year and have some
decent personnel, but there may be
something about Mike Pettines scheme
that makes it softer against the run. He
had good personnel in Buffalo last year,
but that defense ranked 28th against the
run. So this could be a group that the
Ravens hit up for 130-140 yards, and it
would be Pierce leading the way. The lack
of receiving production is a concern,
obviously, but Pierce looks like a possible
fantasy starter this week. Were cool on
Joe Flacco. If the running game is working,
that could limit his workload. Thats kind of
how it played out last week. Flacco played
well enough, but with the running game
working at times, he finished with only 166
yards and 2 TDs. The Browns have some
talent in their secondary; Drew Brees
finished with only 237 yards against them
last week. Flacco has historically been just
OK against them. He threw for 250 yards
and 2 TDs in the last meeting, but he had
only one touchdown in each of his previous
three. The Ravens used Flacco on four
quarterback sneaks against Pittsburgh, so
theres some rushing touchdown potential,
but the way he got clobbered on one of
those, you have to wonder if theyll shy
away from those in the future. Steve
Smith Sr. is the clear No. 1 receiver. He
may be 35, but hes playing like hes four
years younger 13 catches for 189 yards
and a touchdown in the first two games.
Torrey Smith, meanwhile, now looks like
just a nominal deep threat. Theyll throw
younger Smith a few deep balls per game,
but there will be a lot of games where he
doesnt see enough of the other routes.
Younger Smith has caught only 4 passes
for 60 yards (even though Flacco has
completed 56 balls). Elder Smith no doubt
will have Joe Haden following him around,
but right now hes playing well enough that
youd have to like his odds one on one
against any defensive back. Below-average
matchup for both Smiths. Also a slightly
below-average matchup for the tight ends.
Dennis Pitta led the team with 10 catches
in the opener, but Owen Daniels is also
out there all the time and is just as likely
to catch touchdowns, given the way Gary
Kubiak likes to use play-action and
bootlegs around the goal line. Daniels
caught 5 passes for 28 yards and 2 TDs in
the win over Pittsburgh. Justin Tucker is
an elite kicker. He can knock em in, and
this offense tends to run out of ideas.
Tucker has scored 132 and 140 points in
his first two seasons. In his last 16
games, hes kicked at least three field
goals in half of them. The Ravens
Defense gets to play against a relatively
inexperienced quarterback, so theres
some potential there. Brian Hoyer has
been solid thus far, but in his two complete
games last year, he threw 3 interceptions
and was sacked 6 times. The Ravens have
the personnel to potentially come up with
3-4 sacks and multiple takeaways. They
also have good kick return teams.
BUFFALO (vs. S.D.):
The Bills are 2-0, but its too early to say
for sure if theyre for real. They might not
be much better than last year (when they
went 6-10). The running game seems to
have slipped, and the defense might not
be as good. We keep thinking back to the
preseason, when the first-unit offense
couldnt get out of its own way. Were
slotting their players off this game going
either way, with both teams scoring around
20-23 points. Were not sold on the
running game. C.J. Spiller and Fred
Jackson will share time. Thus far, theyve
each had one good game and one dud.
Spiller averaged only 3.5 yards per carry in
Week 1 against Chicago, while Jackson
was down at 2.0 per attempt against
Miami. With Spiller, the draw is his big-play
ability. Hes one of the few running backs
with the speed to bust loose for a 60-yard
touchdown. He scored on a kickoff return
last week, and he scored 6 TDs from 30-
plus yards in his last two seasons. Leave
him in there, and youll get some big
touchdowns along the way. With Jackson,
youre playing for the shorter, safer scores.
Hes a better, more rugged ball carrier
between the tackles, so hes more likely to
get the ball at the goal line. He outscored
Spiller 10-2 last year in large part because
he got 18 carries inside the 5, while Spiller
got none. So far this year, its 2-0 Spiller.
But an average kind of matchup for them.
San Diego ranked 12th against run last
year, allowing 107 yards per game, and the
Chargers have allowed 15 rushing
touchdowns in their last 18 games. The
Bills, meanwhile, have averaged 145
rushing yards per game in the Doug
Marrone era, with 16 rushing TDs in 18
games. Sounds like about 135 rushing
yards and a touchdown this week is the fair
estimate. Anthony Dixon has 7 carries in
the first two games, so looks like theyll
work him in for a few touches as well.
EJ Manuel is 2-0, but he looked awfully
shaky erratic in the preseason, when
he couldnt complete anything downfield or
even deliver the short passes accurately.
Hes thrown for only 173 and 202 yards in
the first two games. His best attribute is
his mobility; hes run for 3 TDs in 12 starts
as a pro. But we just dont see enough.
Theyll try to run. You cant really start him
with any real expectation that hell make it
up to 230 yards and 2 TDs. With it
being a lesser situation for the passing
game, were not particularly high on any of
the receivers. But Sammy Watkins put
together a breakout-type game against
5 Fantasy Index Weekly www.fantasyindex.com 206-527-4444 September 17, 2014
Miami, and that potential must be
recognized. Against Miami he caught 8
passes for 117 yards and a touchdown,
and he had another 45-yard touchdown
stripped out of his hands as he was trying
to control it on their opening drive. All
through the preseason, Robert Woods was
the better and more polished receiver, and
he should outproduce Watkins in some
games, but the rookie is simply a far more
talented guy. Those are the two receiving
threats to consider if you want to go that
route. Mike Williams looks like a distant
No. 3. The Bills seem to be souring on
Scott Chandler (originally drafted by the
Chargers back in 2007). In the preseason
and again in the first two games, theyve
been using him now as more of a pass
catching specialist going with better
blockers on early downs, it seems. Not
really worth a fantasy roster spot anymore,
in our eyes. Dan Carpenter is off to a
big start. Hes knocked in 28 points in two
games. But field goal attempts and wins
tend to go hand-in-hand. Were not
confident the Bills will win half of their
remaining games, so Carpenters big
workload should decline in a hurry. The
Bills Defense looks like an above-average
unit. It finished among the leaders last
year in sacks (57) and interceptions (23).
Its off to a good start, with 6 sacks and 3
interceptions. It also is probably one of the
top half-dozen teams on kick returns. But
its got a difficult matchup this week. Philip
Rivers doesnt tend to make many
mistakes just 31 sacks and 12
interceptions in 18 games under Mike
McCoy. The Chargers dont have touchback
machine, but theyve been outstanding
covering kickoffs under 16 yards, on
average, on the 9 that have been returned
against them (and they faced Percy Harvin
on Sunday). So very unlikely that youll see
C.J. Spiller take another kickoff to the
house this week.
CAROLINA (vs. Pitt.):
It may sound weird, given Pittsburghs rich
defensive history, but its become a lesser
defensive team. Not enough pass rush,
and its been soft against the run. With
this game being at home, we consider it to
be an above-average situation for the
Panthers. For starters, its a chance for
the running game to get healthy. Carolina
hasnt done much on the ground in the first
two weeks. Jonathan Stewart hasnt
averaged better than 2.5 per carry in a
game yet. DeAngelo Williams popped a
couple of runs against Tampa Bay but sat
out last week with a thigh injury. He should
return. They should both start getting back
on track this week. The Steelers have
allowed over 150 rushing yards in both of
their games. At home against Cleveland,
they allowed three different running backs
to average over 6 yards per carry. So as
poorly as the Panthers have played, this is
a game where they could easily run for
something like 130 yards. Stewart and
Williams should get most of the carries.
Mike Tolbert has been their main short-
yardage back. He got a goal-line poke
against Detroit but appeared to suffer
some kind of upper-body injury on the play,
setting up Stewart to come in and score.
Chances are one of those two big backs
will punch in a 1-yard touchdown in this
game. Cam Newton looked very good
against the Lions. He completed 65
percent, which is higher than what we
typically see out of him, and he threw for
281 yards, which was better than all but
one of his games last year. They really
dialed him back last year (relying more on
the defense), but Newton throws a really
nice deep ball. Think back to his rookie
year, when he put up record passing yards
in his first two games. And for all the talk
about him losing his top four wide
receivers from last year, the quiet reality is
those guys really werent that good. Steve
Smith can still ball, but the other three
arent even No. 3 receivers this year
Brandon LaFell, Ted Ginn and Domenik
Hixon. So this looks like a fair enough
matchup for Newton. Pittsburgh doesnt
have enough pass rush, and Brian Hoyer
passed for 230 yards against them on
opening day. Were putting Newton down
for 240 yards, and if he were to play this
game 16 times (a seasons worth) we
figure hed probably throw about 24-25
TDs. Its a fair enough situation for the
pass catchers. Greg Olsen is one fire right
now. Hes caught 14 passes 6 more than
anyone else on the team with one
touchdown. The Steelers have allowed 5
TD passes to tight ends in their last six
games. Kelvin Benjamin is their No. 1
receiver. He nearly made a difficult
touchdown catch on Sunday, and including
the preseason, twice hes caught
touchdowns even while being interfered
with by the defensive back covering him.
Jerricho Cotchery is playing well enough;
hes caught 8 passes (just like Benjamin),
and you have to figure hell be jacked up to
play his 2013 team. Jason Avant hasnt
been much of a factor (including the
preseason) but caught 5 passes and a
touchdown last week. All of these guys are
a little higher than usual on our board.
Graham Gano is off to a solid start, with 8
and 10 points in his first two games. With
the kind of ball they play, you would figure
Gano might be a top-5 or top-10 kicker, but
he scored only 114 points last year. The
Panthers Defense is going without Greg
Hardy, who led them with 15 sacks last
year, but it didnt seem to slow them down
much against Detroit. They still managed
to come up with 4 sacks and an
interception. Ben Roethlisberger doesnt
tend to throw many interceptions (just 16
in his last 18 games) but hes a guy wholl
hold the ball too long. Hes been sacked
47 times in those same 18 games.
Carolina should get at least 3 sacks in this
game.
CHICAGO (at NYJ):
The Bears had the leagues 2nd-highest
scoring offense last year better than the
Saints, Eagles, Patriots and every other
non-Denver team in the league. But theyre
not playing at that kind of level right now.
Too many injuries. The Jets have some
holes in their defense, but they also have
difference makers, an aggressive scheme,
and home-field advantage. We expect
lesser production out of Chicagos offense
probably around 20 points. Matt
Forte, for starters, looks like a disaster.
Running behind a line missing both guards,
he averaged under 2 yards per carry last
week at San Francisco. This defense is
even better against the run, with two elite
linemen (Sheldon Richardson, Muhammad
Wilkerson) who can dominate at the point
of attack. Eddie Lacy is a Forte-style
runner, and he went for only 43 yards on
13 carries against this defense last week.
Probably not 50 yards for Forte, and he has
very little chance of running for a
touchdown. The Bears havent scored any
rushing touchdowns yet, while the Jets
havent allowed any. If Forte is going to put
together a serviceable statistical evening,
it will be due to catching a healthy dose of
dumpoff balls. Thats a big part of their
offense. Forte caught 74 passes last year,
and hes caught 13 passes for 102 yards
in the first two weeks of the season. Jay
Cutler tossed 4 TDs last week at San
Francisco, but he looked pretty awful doing
it. He finished with only 176 yards, and
Chicago was really dead and buried in that
game. He may have benefited from the
49ers simply easing up and then going flat
in the second half. This is the same kind of
defense. The Jets have the advantage up
front to control the line of scrimmage and
apply some pressure, but there are holes
in that secondary. If the Bears can hang
around and find ways to give Cutler time,
hell eventually find some weaknesses. But
it wont be easy. Aaron Rodgers eventually
caught fire and finished with 346 yards and
3 TDs against this defense, but they had
him on his heels early Rodgers
completed under 60 percent. We expect
the same kind of cat-and-mouse game
here, only the Jets now have a home crowd
working with them. Were slotting Cutler for
less production than usual (but if the Bears
score 2 TDs in this game, theyll probably
both come on passes). Were also
slotting the wide receivers lower than
usual. Brandon Marshall (ankle) and
Alshon Jeffery (hamstring) are both playing
hurt, and it showed at San Francisco.
Theyre not moving as well as usual. They
have a huge talent edge over New Yorks
cornerbacks, but the Bears have to figure
out how to get Cutler time to throw. Mix
that all together, and we think it makes
sense to slot them a little lower than
usual. Jordy Nelson, though, is a big
Marshall-Jeffery type receiver, and he went
over 200 yards against this defense last
week. Santonio Holmes left the Jets on
bad terms, so maybe theres some extra
motivation, but hes not high enough in the
pecking order for the Bears that we even
want to start mulling whether he could be a
significant player in this game.
Martellus Bennett is playing the best ball
of his career. Hes on his game right now,
and theyre going to him more because of
their receiver injuries. Bennett has caught
15 passes and 2 TDs in the first two
weeks. Robbie Gould is probably one of
the half dozen most talented kickers in the
league, but this game could turn sour for
the Bears. Well pass. The Bears
Defense came up with 4 sacks and 3
interceptions last week against Colin
Kaepernick, but well skip on them. Theyll
be without five starters. Chicago managed
only 1 sack and 1 interception in Week 1
against EJ Manuel.
CINCINNATI (vs. Tenn.):
The Bengals offense has been hit with a
number of early injuries. A.J. Green, Marvin
Jones and Tyler Eifert are three of their top
receivers and probably none will play in this
game. But Cincinnati clobbered the Falcons
anyway last week, and we wont be
surprised if they do the same to the Titans.
Its a deep and talented team that to our
eyes looks like one of the AFCs best.
Giovani Bernard is the clear No. 1, but
Jeremy Hill will be a solid part of a tandem
in many weeks. Theyre still working in the
rookie and building some trust in him. In
the back-and-forth opener against
Baltimore, Bernard touched the ball 20
times compared to just 4 for Hill. Against
Atlanta, which the Bengals controlled for
most of the way, it was a 32-17 split.
Sizable workload for Bernard regardless;
though hes averaging just 3.4 yards per
carry, the Bengals are comfortable with him
as the focal point of the offense. But Hill
also had a healthy share of touches in the
second game, and the team has probably
noticed hes up at 4.9 yards per carry.
Hes bigger and runs with more power and
attitude than Bernard. Were placing little
stock in the Titans holding Kansas City to
just 67 yards on the ground in the opener;
Andy Reid conceded his culpability in that
one. Dallas mauled the Titans for 220 and
a touchdown last week, and that was in
Tennessee. Especially given the sorry state
of Cincinnatis receiving corps right now,
we expect another 30-plus touches for this
duo. With Hill outweighing Bernard by 30
pounds, you might expect him to be a
better bet for goal-line work, but thats not
how the team has used the backs so far.
Against Atlanta, Bernard took 4 straight
carries inside the 10-yard line on one
series, scoring a 4-yard touchdown. Later
in the game, Hill handled an entire series
that began at the Atlanta 43, finishing it
with a short touchdown. Hes a change-of-
pace back, not a specialist. A.J. Green
has a toe or foot injury that Marvin Lewis
has described only as not long-term.
Were guessing he wont play in Week 3
(Cincinnati has a Week 4 bye), but even
thats not certain. Well revisit in the Friday
update. If he sits out, Mohamed Sanu will
be the top target; the other healthy
wideouts, Dane Sanzenbacher and
Brandon Tate, cant be counted on for
significant roles. Jermaine Gresham would
be the other beneficiary; Tyler Eifert and
Alex Smith are both on injured reserve,
though Eifert can return in Week 10.
(Cincinnati also signed Kevin Brock on
Tuesday.) Sanu has the added benefit of
the occasional gadget play where hell
throw a pass; he played quarterback in
high school and college, and is 3 for 3 for
148 yards in the NFL after completing a
50-yard bomb against Atlanta. We wont be
too aggressive with Greshams projection,
since Green missed almost all of last
weeks game and the tight end still only
caught 3 balls for 25 yards. Tennessee
has been strong against the pass, holding
its first two opponents to 189 yards, and
Cincinnatis ground game is a lot healthier
than its passing game. So were putting a
modest grade on Andy Dalton, whos
playing well but probably wont have to do
as much. Were figuring he wont have A.J.
Green available, either. Tennessee has 8
sacks through its first two games, another
reason to think the Bengals will emphasize
the run. Dalton did throw 3 TDs at
Tennessee back in 2011 in a 24-17 win,
but much has changed since then. Mike
Nugent knocked in 5 field goals in Week 1,
then missed 3 of 4 in Week 2. A little
troubling, but its hard not to like the
opportunities hes had so far, which should
continue to be the case against Tennesee.
Dan Bailey kicked 4 versus the Titans last
week. The Bengals Defense is too
talented to underestimate, with 5 sacks
and 4 interceptions through two games.
Jake Locker has made some strides, but
he still strikes us as sack and error-prone
in a tough environment. The Cowboys
seemed to bait him into one of his 2
interceptions last week, and this is a much
better defense.
CLEVELAND (vs. Balt.):
The Browns have scored 27 and 26 points
in their first two games, and they won 24-
18 in the last meeting between these
teams. Hapless as theyve been, the
Browns have at least managed 2 TDs in all
but one of their last eight games at home.
So well put them down for about 20
points, even though theyre playing a
defense that typically bottles them up.
Prior to that last week, Cleveland lost 11
straight in this series and didnt score
more than 17 points in any of those
games. And the Ravens look tough as
usual on defense, holding the Bengals and
Steelers to a combined one touchdown in
the first two games of the season.
Cleveland has run for 183 and 122 yards
in the first two weeks, with 3 TDs, but that
facet of their offense should slow down
substantially. Baltimore is a lot better
against the run than Pittsburgh or New
Orleans. The Ravens gave up only 79
rushing yards against the Bengals, and
they were similarly effective against
Pittsburgh (LeVeon Bell shook free for a
couple of longer runs, helping the Steelers
up to 99 yards). Were putting Cleveland
down for 100 yards, with about a 50
percent chance of a rushing touchdown,
but our heart isnt really in it. No real
interest in these backs. Ben Tate (knee)
hasnt been ruled out, but hes almost
certainly down until they return from their
Week 4 bye. It should be Terrance West
carrying the load, with Isaiah Crowell
getting about a third of the work. Neither
West nor Crowell offers much in the
passing game, which kills them in many
fantasy formats. Brian Hoyer has made
a few neat plays in his first two games,
sneaking the team past New Orleans and
keeping it competitive with Pittsburgh. But
hes a lesser talent, and he could be
exposed in this one. The Ravens have a
much better pass defense than what hes
seen. Think back to opening day a year
ago, when Peyton Manning torched them
for 462 yards and 7 TDs. Since that time,
the Ravens in 17 games have allowed only
19 TD passes, with an average of 234
passing yards in those games. Two games
into this season, theyve given up only one
touchdown against Andy Dalton and Ben
Roethlisberger, and both of those guys are
way above where Hoyer will ever be. Were
expecting about 210 yards and a
touchdown, and hes not a factor as a
runner. Youve got the home-field thing
working in your favor, and thats about it.
A lesser situation for the passing game
means were lower than usual on the pass
catchers. Jordan Cameron should return
from the shoulder injury that sidelined him
last week, but the Ravens did a great job
against him in the last meeting. The
Browns won that game and scored 24
points, but Cameron caught 1 pass for 4
yards. Andrew Hawkins looks like this
teams best and busiest receiver right now.
Hes caught a team-high 14 passes 6
more than anyone else. Miles Austin
comes off a decent game (6 catches and a
touchdown) but hes just an aging veteran
whos played his best ball. Theyve got
some other youngsters theyll rotate
through, but these are just guys. Billy
Cundiff almost fell out of the league when
the Ravens released him, but hes
salvaged his career in Cleveland. Hes hit 2
field goals in each of the first two games.
Including the preseason, hes 13-14, with
the only miss from 50-plus. As well as the
Ravens play defense in the red zone, that
can work in favor of opposing kickers.
Baltimore allowed 130 kicking points last
year, and its given up 21 to Mike Nugent
and Shayne Graham the first two weeks of
the season. The Browns Defense has
some interesting pieces. Theyve got some
pass rushers, and theyve got some quality
in their secondary. Cleveland is sitting at 5
sacks and 2 interceptions after two games,
which is solid enough, and Joe Flacco has
had problems in those areas. In his last 18
games, Flacco has thrown 23 interceptions
and taken 51 sacks (over 3 per game). The
Browns also have one of the better punt
returners in Travis Benjamin.
DALLAS (at St.L.):
Its fun to pick on the Cowboys, what with
their egotistical owner, unremarkable head
coach, and quarterback who has tended to
come up small in the biggest games.
Theyve blown more than their share of
draft picks and free agency decisions, and
their defense might be the leagues
weakest. But forget all that for this week.
Theyve got one of the leagues best
running backs, and theyre facing a
defense thats struggled against the run in
its first two games. Were not sure its
much better against the pass right now,
either. Good situation for the Dallas
offense. DeMarco Murray is running as
well as any back in the league. He leads
the league in rushing, and note that one of
his two games was against a San
Francisco defense that shut down Matt
Forte in its other contest. Hes averaging
5.6 yards per carry, and its not as if he
has a 40-yard run in there to skew things;
his long is 22 yards. Now he faces a Rams
defense that just let Bobby Rainey go for
144 yards. Its also a defense hes no
doubt excited to match up, given the
history. As a rookie back in 2011 he had a
breakout game against St. Louis, going for
253 yards, including a 91-yard touchdown
run. He faced them again last season, and
went for another 175 yards and a
touchdown. Both of those games were in
Dallas, but the fields are the same size,
right? Murrays getting a sizable workload
(51 carries through two games), and it
probably wont be scaled back this week.
The only negative that can be argued
against Murray is that the Rams went into
Week 1 trying to contain Adrian Peterson
and were able to do so, holding him under
4 yards per attempt. Joseph Randle left
last weeks game with a concussion, so
its possible Lance Dunbar will be the only
other candidate for carries. Big thumbs up
on Murray. Tony Romo looked pretty
bad in the opener, throwing a trio of
fluttering interceptions. He was better at
Tennessee (no turnovers), but did so by
primarily sticking with shorter throws and
not forcing anything he averaged just over
6 yards per attempt and also took 4 sacks.
With this looking like a choice matchup for
the running game, we dont expect Romo
to put up big numbers. St. Louis has
defended the pass fairly well thus far,
holding the Vikings and Bucs each under
180 yards. Matt Cassel and Josh McCown
arent as adept as Romo, of course, but
this is a strong pass rush that wont let
much develop downfield. Plus the Cowboys
shouldnt have to get away from the ground
game very often. Romo has been sacked 7
times the first two games, a less than
ideal situation for a quarterback coming off
back surgery. It wont be a surprise if
Romo finishes south of 200 yards for the
second straight week. In those previous
meetings where Murray rushed for 175-
plus, Romo threw for 166 and 210 yards.
He did throw 2 and 3 TDs in those
contests, so we cant drop him too far, but
1-2 (with 2 slightly more likely than 1)
looks like the correct projection. Lesser
numbers for the passing game might have
you looking away from Dez Bryant and
Jason Witten, but that looks risky. Bryant
caught touchdowns in both the 2011 and
2013 meetings, averaging 64 yards in
those games. Witten scored in the 2011
game and went for 67 yards last year.
Bryant thus far despite missing a good
chunk of the opener due to
injury/dehydration has caught a third of
Romos completions (14 of 42) and
accounts for 35 percent of the yards (158
of 457). He was targeted on nearly half
(14) of Romos 29 attempts at Tennessee.
Even if Romo puts up below-average
numbers, Bryant should be in store for a
solid day. Witten is less reliable, but was
also targeted 7 times at Tennessee.
Terrance Williams is off to a quiet start,
with 6 catches for 70 yards and 1 TD
through two games. The way Bryant is
being targeted, hell probably need bigger
numbers out of Romo to really have a
noteworthy game. Miles Austin (2 for 22)
did nothing in this matchup a year ago.
Dan Bailey knocked in 4 field goals last
week, and it is another game were there
should be some points out of the Dallas
offense. The Cowboys Defense appears
a little higher in our rankings than normal.
St. Louis will be quarterbacked by either
Shaun Hill or Austin Davis, who may be
fine when managing low-scoring contests,
but lets see what happens if theyre
forced to throw a little more than the Rams
would like. If the Cowboys are piling up
production on the ground, the Rams may
be forced to be more aggressive in trying to
keep up, giving Dallas a chance for some
sacks and turnovers.
DENVER (at Sea.):
Its been masked a little bit by a 2-0 start
and Peyton Manning throwing 3 TDs in
each game, but Denvers record-busting
offense has slipped a little. The running
game isnt as good, and Manning isnt
ripping defenses like he did last year. Hes
thrown for only 269 and 242 yards in his
first two games, and those were both at
home against below-average defenses.
Last year Manning finished under 280
yards in only two games all year 150
yards in a weather-affected loss at New
England, and 266 yards when he sat out
the second half of Week 17 at Oakland.
Now the Broncos are in toughest possible
situation on the road against one of the
best pass defenses ever. This is a rare
week where the Broncos might score only
about 20 points. Manning is as good as
they come capable of putting up 300
yards and 3 TDs against any defense but
this remarkable defense has a way of
making even outstanding quarterbacks
look ordinary, especially at Century Link
Field.
Franchise QBs at Seattle (2012-)
Player Com Att Yds TD Int
Aaron Rodgers 26 39 223 0 0
Tony Romo 23 40 251 1 1
Tom Brady 36 58 395 2 2
Drew Brees 23 38 147 1 0
Carson Palmer 13 25 178 1 4
Drew Brees 24 43 309 1 0
Aaron Rodgers 23 33 189 1 1
Its just a tough place to play, and an
outstanding defense. Manning knows this,
of course. He played one of the worst
games of his career in the 43-8 Super Bowl
loss against Seattle. He finished with 280
yards and a touchdown, but most of that
production came in the second half, long
after the result was determined. He tossed
a couple of interceptions, including one
that was returned for a touchdown. Seattle
wasnt quite as good last week, and it has
some injuries in its secondary. Maybe the
Broncos can find some matchups to
exploit. But his is a rare week where you
can seriously think about starting other
quarterbacks ahead of Manning. Were
putting him down for 260 yards and 2 TDs,
and hes probably more likely to fall to one
touchdown than to climb up to 3.
Montee Ball is starting to become a
concern. Two weeks into the season, it
doesnt look like hes as good as
Knowshon Moreno. Certainly not as good
as a pass catcher, and hes been
surprisingly unproductive as a runner. Ball
averaged only 2.9 yards per carry in Week
1 against Indianapolis, and he really
wasnt much better against Kansas City.
He ran for 60 yards on 12 carries, and 23
of the yards came when they ran a draw on
a third-and-long. How is it possible for any
running back to average only around 3
yards per carry when defenses are on their
heels, far more concerned with Peyton
Manning? Tough to envision Ball doing
much of anything in this game. Seattles
defense has allowed only 12 touchdowns
in its last nine games at home, and only 3
have those touchdowns have been of the
running variety. C.J. Anderson has
outplayed Ball two weeks in a row, so hes
a guy who should be tucked away with a
roster spot to cover the possibility that Ball
gets hurt or starts losing that job. Its a
lousy situation, but its tough to seriously
consider not using the Denver pass
catchers. Julius Thomas is on fire; hes
caught 4 TDs in two weeks. And the
Seahawks great as they are just gave
up 3 TDs to a tight end last week. You can
be sure the Broncos will take a careful look
at those plays. Pretty much everything went
wrong for Denver in the Super Bowl last
year, and Demaryius Thomas still caught
13 passes for 118 yards and a touchdown.
Wes Welker caught 8 passes in that
game. And Emmanuel Sanders has been
pretty remarkable in his first two games,
finishing with at least 29 more receiving
yards than Demaryius Thomas in both of
them. How do you bench any of these
guys? With Welker presumably returning
this week, Sanders should kick outside
and play less in the slot, costing him some
catches. This trio will work against a
secondary thats a little thinner than it was
in the postseason last year. And the
Seahawks use Richard Sherman on one
side, so the Broncos should be able to
isolate guys in matchups at least at times.
Brandon McManus kicks two more
games before Matt Prater returns, but best
to avoid him in this one. Seattle has
allowed only 46 kicking points in its last
nine games at home. The Broncos
Defense should be OK for sacks. They
have a nice pair of speed rushers, and
Seattle allows sacks. It doesnt have a
great pass-blocking line, and Russell
Wilson will hold the ball at times. He was
sacked 44 times last year. But Wilson
doesnt throw interceptions just 9 in his
last 18 games.
DETROIT (vs. G.B.):
Well call it an average matchup for the
Lions, but were not excited about it. On
the one hand, they have a bunch of nice
offensive pieces. But they havent really
put it all together, and theyve historically
struggled against Green Bay. In this
century, the Lions are 5-23 in this series.
Most recently Detroit won 40-10 last
Thanksgiving, but that was with Aaron
Rodgers sidelined. In their last five games
against the Packers when the franchise
quarterback has been in place, the Lions
have scored 7, 15, 20, 20 and 9 points.
The Packers have a below-average run
defense. We saw that in Week 1 when
Marshawn Lynch was rumbling for 110
yards and 2 TDs. But the Lions havent
gotten their ground game going yet. Joique
Bell is averaging only 3.5 yards per carry,
and Reggie Bush is down at 2.7. Bell has
been getting more carries, while Bush has
more potential to bust off a 70-yard play,
and those kind of runs have tended to
come at Ford Field for him. Bell ran for 117
yards and a touchdown in the Thanksgiving
Day Massacre, but again, that was with
Rodgers out, which completely changes
Green Bays team. The Lions have run for
only 76 and 70 yards as a team in their
first two. With Green Bay having allowed
over twice that in each of its games, well
put Detroit down for 105 rushing yards,
with a touchdown. The Packers have
allowed 2 TD runs in each of their games.
Matthew Stafford can sling it around.
Hes thrown for 346 and 291 in his first
two. But Green Bays defense is better
against the pass than the run, and its also
historically had some success against him.
Set aside last years games, because
Aaron Rodgers missed one of them and
Calvin Johnson missed the other. Wind it
back to 2012 and youll see Detroit scoring
20 points and losing in both of the games
against Green Bay. Stafford threw for 264
and 266 yards in those two games, with 1
TD in each game. Not that hes chopped
liver, but were not sticking him up with
super elite guys this week. About 280
yards and 1-2 TDs is out expectation, with
2 TDs more likely than 1. The Packers
have some good cornerbacks and might
get pretty good pressure on Stafford, but
its tough stopping Calvin Johnson. Hes
gone over 100 yards in four straight games
against them, as well as catching a
touchdown in one of those. No reason to
get too cute with Johnson. Golden Tate
looks legit a lot better than the other
receivers the team has used opposite
Johnson over the years. Tate is catching
whats thrown his way, and hes got some
after-the-catch ability. Hes gone for 93 and
57 yards in his first two games, so right
now hes on pace for an even 1,200 yards.
Its his first game against Green Bay since
his infamous Fail Mary touchdown in 2012.
The Lions are using three tight ends.
Brandon Pettigrew should play the most,
but hes their worst pass catcher. You can
see theyre eager to start tapping into Eric
Ebron. Hes a pass-catching threat, and
thats why they drafted him 10th overall.
He got 5 targets at Carolina, and his role
will continue to grow. Joseph Fauria is just
a part-time player, but the team likes to
utilize him in the red zone, so hes
probably the most likely to score. Its kind
of a mess. The Lions Defense has some
upside. Playing at home and with
considerable talent on the defensive line, it
could exploit some of the weak spots in
Green Bays depleted offensive line. Aaron
Rodgers has been sacked 7 times in two
games. But Rodgers has thrown only 21
interceptions in his last 42 games, so
tough to envision him being harassed into
multiple turnovers. The Lions have a top-10
kick returner, Jeremy Ross, and youve got
to figure hed love to take one back against
the team that released him last year.
The Lions are mulling whether to make a
change at kicker. Nate Freese has missed
3 field goals in two games, so the team
has worked out Rob Bironas, Alex Henery
and Garrett Hartley. Freeses next miss
could be his last, and the team potentially
could even make a move this week.
GREEN BAY (at Det.):
Its not an easy thing, winning at Ford
Field, but the Packers tend to find a way.
Theyre 14-2 against the Lions the last
eight years, and both of the losses came
when they were without their quarterback.
Aaron Rodgers got sidelined early by a
concussion when they lost 7-3 in 2010.
And Rodgers didnt play at all when the
Lions rolled to a 40-10 win on Thanksgiving
last year. But when Rodgers is in the
lineup, Green Bay tends to do just fine in
this series. Hes 9-0 in his full games
against Detroit, and theyve scored at least
26 points in all but one of those games (a
22-9 win at Lambeau last year, where they
ran more often and also settled for 5 field
goals). The Lions have some talented
defensive linemen, which is a concern, but
with the holes they have in their secondary,
you get the feeling Rodgers will break them
down eventually. He ripped up a Jets
defense with secondary issues last week,
passing for 346 yards and 3 TDs. Detroit
let a rusty Cam Newton pass for 281 yards
and a touchdown last week, and hes not
in Rodgers league as a passer. Were
not high on Eddie Lacy. Hes struggled
thus far, while Detroit has been very stout
against the run. The Giants ran for only 53
yards at Detroit in Week 1, and the
Panthers went for only 62 last week. Both
of those teams averaged under 3 yards per
carry. Lacy hasnt really gotten on track
yet, and theyve got some offensive line
issues. Sounds like he could be headed for
a third straight game under 50 rushing
yards. Lacy ran for 99 yards at Lambeau
last year, but he carried only 10 times for
16 yards in the loss on Thanksgiving. A
lesser matchup for Lacy. Rodgers is
healthy and in the lineup, so its a good
enough matchup for the wide receivers.
Jordy Nelson looks like the No. 1 option
right now; hes been more impressive than
Randall Cobb in both games, and he went
over 200 yards against the Jets. Cobb has
been getting more looks around the goal-
line, with 3 short TDs in the first two
games. Its not a cherry situation for these
receivers, but theyre starters for most
every fantasy team that has them. There
could be a change in that No. 3 receiver
spot (which is basically a full-time player in
this offense). Davante Adams played a lot
more than Jarrett Boykin against the Jets
in the final three quarters of that game,
and Adams was a lot more impressive,
catching 5 passes. Adams passes the
eyeball test; looks like hell be really good
after the catch. The usual route for Green
Bay receivers is to let them sit for about a
year, but Adams looks like hes moving
into the top 3 right now. At tight end,
its a three-way deal. Brandon Bostick
could play his way into a role, but hes just
a wait-and-see option. In the first two
games, theyve used Richard Rodgers on
most basic run-pass downs, and theyve
tended to use Andrew Quarless when
theyre definitely looking to pass. Were
putting Quarless highest, but none of these
tight ends look roster-worthy right now.
With this game being at Ford Field, were
going only above-average for Mason
Crosby. He chipped in 16 points at
Lambeau against the Lions last year, but
he scored only 6 and 9 points in the two
Detroit games the previous season. The
Packers Defense seems to have Matthew
Staffords number, so were putting them
higher than you might think. In each of the
last two years its gotten 6 sacks against
him, with 3 interceptions in 2012 and 2
last year.
HOUSTON (at NYG):
The Texans lost 14 straight games to close
out last season, but even then it was clear
this wasnt a terrible team just one that
made critical mistakes at inopportune
times. Getting rid of Matt Schaub and
getting Arian Foster back healthy have
gone a long way to addressing Houstons
key failings from a year ago, and suddenly
the team is 2-0 and atop at the AFC South.
We doubt theyll stay there, but heres
another matchup where their offense and
defense might both be just fine. The Giants
are nothing special against either the run
or the pass, and their offense is prone to
the same kind of miscues that killed
Houston a year ago. Arian Foster is on
top of his game. With him missing half of
last season, its easy to forget that hes an
elite, three-down back when healthy. Hes
up at 4.4 yards per carry, and regularly
looks like hes close to busting every short
run for an even longer game. His usage is
a mild concern (nearly 30 touches per
game), but for the moment were focusing
on fielding a winning lineup in Week 3, so
its full speed ahead with Foster. He hasnt
been as big a part of the passing game in
Bill OBriens offense (just 4 receptions),
but Houston has been playing with a lead
for most of the last two weeks, so too
soon to say he wont also be busy as a
receiver if game situation dictates it. The
Giants held Detroit to 76 yards on the
ground in Week 1, but that might not mean
much the Lions were even less effective
running the ball against Carolina, plus they
lit New York up via the pass. Arizona
rushed for 124 and a touchdown last
week, and thats with Andre Ellington
operating on a bum wheel. Foster will get
almost all the snaps (minus a breather or
two from Alfred Blue and perhaps
Jonathan Grimes) and the game plan
should revolve around him. New York will
be without middle linebacker Jon Beason,
sidelined last week with a toe injury,
further helping Fosters outlook. Hes too
good, and productive, to sit down in most
leagues. Houstons passing game is
less enticing. Ryan Fitzpatrick averages
21 pass attempts through the first two
games. Its clear that the team has little
interest in putting the ball in the air as long
as the ground game is working, and theres
little reason to think that will change
against the Giants. Fitzpatrick has thrown 3
TDs and eked up over 200 yards in the
opener, but that was largely due to a blown
coverage and 76-yard touchdown pass to
DeAndre Hopkins that few quarterbacks
could have failed to make. Not to dismiss
Fitzpatrick, who has proved plenty capable
of moving an offense in the past, but he
wont be asked to do too much in most
games beyond not get sacked and not
commit any turnovers (and so far, so good;
hes spotless in both areas). The Giants
probably have a better offense than the
Washington and Oakland groups Houston
has shut down the first two weeks, so
maybe Fitzpatrick has to do a little more
here. But it will be a surprise if he throws
for more than 220ish yards and 1-2 TDs,
with 1 more likely than 2. Since letting
Calvin Johnson catch 2 TDs in the first
quarter of the opener, New York has now
gone the last 7 quarters without giving up a
score through the air. Andre Johnson is
the main target, and like Foster hes tough
to sit down as long as hes healthy.
Fitzpatrick has completed just 28 passes,
but 12 of them (43 percent) have gone to
Johnson. New York proved in the opener it
couldnt handle Megatron, and had some
trouble staying with Larry Fitzgerald last
week, as well. Fitzgerald caught 6 passes
last week, and was open on several other
occasions (and was unlucky to lose a
touchdown on a play where he was
determined to be just short of the goal line
on a replay review). DeAndre Hopkins is a
credible No. 2, but its debatable whether
this passing game can support two wide
receivers at this point. Hes at 111 yards
through two games, with all but 35 of that
coming on one play. Had a nifty touchdown
catch last week, and as noted its possible
Houston will need to pass a little more
against this opponent than its had to the
last two weeks. If the tight end is going
to play a big role in this offense, it hasnt
been apparent yet. J.J. Watt has as many
catches lined up as a tight end (1) as
Garrett Graham, including the only
touchdown. C.J. Fiedorowicz (foot) was
ruled out on Friday last week, so were not
counting on him returning; Ryan Griffin
would again fill in. Randy Bullock had a
short attempt blocked last week, but made
his other three kicks, including one from
46 yards. The Giants have served up 7
field goal attempts through two games,
including 6 successful ones only two
teams have allowed more. The Texans
Defense has a good pass rush, and the
way the Giants are serving up turnovers
and struggling to protect Eli Manning, were
definitely interested in them in this
matchup.
INDIANAPOLIS (at Jac.):
Pep Hamilton is fast becoming the least
favorite offensive coordinator in fantasy
football. He wants to develop a 49ers-style
power running game, but the Colts dont
really have the personnel to do that. Their
offensive line isnt good enough, and their
backs arent good enough. Many fans
would like to see what would happen if
Hamilton allowed Andrew Luck to let it rip.
Luck averaged 273 passing yards per
game as a rookie, and it seemed like he
was on the fast track to becoming another
Brees, Brady or Manning. When the Colts
fell way behind in Denver in Week 1,
Hamilton tossed out the game plan and let
Luck pass for 370 yards and 3 TDs. But
those games probably will be the
exception. The Colts were at home on
Monday night against an Eagles defense
that ranked last in pass defense last year.
They stuck with a run-oriented approach,
with Luck throwing for only 172 yards. Hes
got the nice pass-run ability; hell run for
20-plus yards in a lot of games, and he
might score a third of their rushing
touchdowns. But Lucks passing numbers
will be well short of the big guns on a lot of
Sundays. Hes not going to gun it like guys
like Stafford and Ryan. Thats just not the
way Hamilton wants to run that offense.
Well put Luck down for above-average
passing numbers this week. Jacksonvilles
defense has been a sieve against the pass
the first two weeks, giving up 610 yards
and 4 TDs against Philadelphia and
Washington. But the Colts probably wont
be that aggressive. Were thinking more
like 250 yards and about 2 TDs. Luck
passed for 257 and 282 yards in the two
Jaguars games last year, but with only 3
TDs in those two games. The backfield
looks a lot like last year, only with Ahmad
Bradshaw replacing Donald Brown. Trent
Richardson is the starter and getting more
carries, but Bradshaw is simply better.
Hes averaging 5.3 yards per carry, while
Richardson is down at 3.7. Richardson had
2 fumbles in the Eagles game, including
one in the second half that helped turn the
game. We expect them to share time going
forward, with Richardson getting slightly
more touches but Bradshaw getting more
yards. Its a time share. Theyre facing a
lesser Jacksonville run defense. The
Jaguars played pretty well for a lot of their
opening day loss at Philadelphia, but that
was a poor and beaten defense at
Washington on Sunday, giving up 191
rushing yards and 3 TDs. Were putting the
Colts down for 120 and a touchdown. It
looks like an average-type matchup for the
passing game, so were putting the pass
catchers in their usual kind of spots.
Reggie Wayne and T.Y. Hilton should be
the top receivers when all is said and
done. Theyve caught 11-12 passes so far.
But neither one has scored, and neither
one has gotten downfield for any big plays.
Its a dink-and-dunk system right now. The
third receiver, Hakeem Nicks, is the king of
the short ball thus far, down at only 5.3
yards per catch. With these three involved,
and a couple of pass-catching tight ends,
its tough to get excited about anybody on
this team becoming a reliable receiving
performer. The Colts should win this
one comfortably, and that makes Adam
Vinatieri look appealing. He scored 13 and
12 points in his two games against
Jacksonville last year. This opponent has
allowed 10 and 11 kicking points in its first
two game. Those are good indicators.
Jacksonville allowed 10 sacks last week,
which bodes well for the Colts Defense,
but Indianapolis doesnt really have any
top-level pass rushers. Robert Mathis had
19.5 sacks last year, but hes out for the
year, making Indianapolis look like a
bottom-5 sack team. A week removed from
getting gouged by Washington, you can be
sure the Jaguars will make offensive
corrections to ensure it doesnt happen
again.
JACKSONVILLE (vs. Ind.):
Jacksonville probably wont win this game,
but it could at least be competitive (as in
about 20 points). The offense was hapless
last week at Washington, but it started well
enough at Philadelphia. And the Colts
arent anything special on defense. By the
end of the year, Indianapolis probably will
rank in the bottom 10 in rushing defense,
and it has no pass rush, so many opposing
quarterbacks will have good days against
them. We cant sign off on Toby
Gerhart. Jacksonvilles running game just
looks broken right now. It struggled all
through the preseason, and hes averaged
only 2.0 yards per carry in the real games.
Whats worse, the two defenses hes
struggled against both gave up plenty of
yards in their other games. Eventually
theyll get this thing figured out, but for
right now, Gerhart doesnt look like hes
going to hit even 50 yards. Chad Henne
had the nice opening quarter against
Philadelphia. Since then, hes struggled.
Hes thrown only one touchdown in his last
seven quarters, and he had only 193 yards
at Washington. Best we can offer in his
defense is that the Colts dont have much
of a pass rush. Henne was sacked 10
times last week; hell have time to throw
this time around. He went for 331 yards
and a touchdown when Jacksonville lost
30-10 at Indy in Week 17 last year. With a
fleet of hungry young receivers to throw to,
its at least possible hell throw for
something like 270 yards and a couple of
touchdowns. Were putting him down for
240 yards and 1-2 TDs, but its probably
more likely to be just the one touchdown.
As Henne continues to struggle, it
becomes more likely the Jaguars will take
a peek at Blake Bortles for the final quarter
of one of these games. The Jaguars
have some receiving talent, but they dont
have a clear go-to guy. Allen Hurns had the
big first quarter at Philadelphia, but he
wasnt much of a factor at Washington. He
dropped what could have been a 76-yard
touchdown early, and he suffered a
sprained ankle on the last play that
doesnt look too bad. How much better (if
at all) is he than Cecil Shorts III (who
should return this week) and Marqise Lee?
Theyve also got Allen Robinson, whos
been coming on and had a big 54-yard
catch at Washington. Jacksonville will be
without Marcedes Lewis for the next eight
games, which helps these wide receivers.
The Jaguars dont have another tight end
whos anywhere near the caliber of Lewis
as a pass catcher. We dont have any
confidence in Josh Scobee as a kicker right
now. The team around him simply isnt
good enough. The Jaguars Defense has
a much better pass rush than last year; its
got 8 sacks in its first two games. But
Andrew Luck is one of the better
quarterbacks at getting the ball out of his
hands and avoiding turnovers.
KANSAS CITY (at Mia.):
Snow and cold tends to be prominently
featured late in the year, but heat and
humidity early in the season might be just
as severe. We saw it in Week 1 with the
Patriots losing at Miami, and it showed up
again in Week 2, with Seattle wilting in
100-degree temperatures in San Diego.
This could be the same kind of game.
Kansas City probably would win on a
neutral field, but Miamis home-cooking
advantage could make for a long afternoon.
While Miamis defense played poorly at
Buffalo, it was outstanding in its home
opener against New England. A lesser
matchup, we think for Kansas City.
Jamaal Charles is out with a high-ankle
sprain. Knile Davis is arguably a top-5 back
as a fill-in against most any defense. Hes
a talented, well-rounded back, and thats
just the featured guy in this offense. When
Charles was injured early against Denver,
Davis (against a good defense) scored 2
TDs, ran for 79 yards and caught 6 passes
for 26 more. He put together the same
kind of game when Charles suffered a
concussion on the opening drive of the
playoff loss at Indianapolis in January 2
TDs, 67 rushing yards and 7 catches for
33 yards. When Davis started at San Diego
in Week 17 last year, he scored 2 TDs and
put up 67 total yards. He can play. Its a
below-average matchup for him, but 100
total yards and a touchdown are certainly
in play. Alex Smith is one of the better
game manager quarterbacks. Hes
careful with the ball, and hell run for first
downs when the openings are there. Hes
run for 36 and 42 yards the last two
weeks. But he doesnt like taking chances.
He wont drive the ball downfield for the big
throws. Hes working the underneath stuff.
As Kansas Citys quarterback, hes
averaged 222 passing yards, with 24 TDs
in 17 games. Thats what he is. We have
only nominal interest in him against this
defense. Miami will cause pass-rushing
problems against that makeshift offensive
line, and the Dolphins have allowed only
19 TD passes in their last 18 games,
which is pretty remarkable. (Miami has
allowed fewer TD passes since the start of
the 2013 season than the Seahawks,
believe it or not.) We have no interest in
any of Kansas Citys wide receivers.
Miamis pass defense is tough, and those
wideouts are pretty much decoys in this
system anyway. Dwayne Bowe has played
17 games with Alex Smith at quarterback
and hasnt had more than 70 yards in any
of them. Just 5 TDs in those 17. Donnie
Avery is the other starter, and hes even
worse. Instead this passing game is
built around getting the ball to the tailback
(Davis this week) and the tight ends. Travis
Kelce is their speedy second tight end; he
caught 4 passes for 81 yards at Denver.
And Anthony Fasano is a sneaky effective
weapon in the red zone. Setting aside the
games he missed with injuries, Fasano has
been on the field when Alex Smith has
thrown 14 TDs; Fasano caught a team-high
4 of those during that span over a
quarter. So in a ballpark sense, if you
figure that Smith throws one touchdown in
this game (which is about what were
figuring), then probably a 25-30 percent
chance it will go to Fasano. Fasano used to
play for Miami, so maybe hell do a better
job adjusting a little bit to the heat and
humidity. Cairo Santos may be a
missed kicked away from the waiver wire.
He missed a 37-yarder at Denver, and he
hit the upright twice back in the Week 1.
He just doesnt seem to be NFL material.
The Kansas City Defense will be
missing Pro Bowlers Eric Berry and Derrick
Johnson, but lets not wave the white flag
just yet. It still has the pair of impressive
pass-rushers coming from the edges
(Tamba Hali and Justin Houston), and Ryan
Tannehill has had problems holding the
ball too long. He was sacked a league-high
58 times last year, and hes gone down 5
times this year. Kansas City potentially
could get 3 sacks in this game. Their
special teams will get a lot better when
DeAnthony Thomas returns from a
hamstring injury; he scored on a long punt
return in the preseason. Thomas likely will
be in uniform this weekend.
MIAMI (vs. K.C.):
This looks like a slightly better-than-
average situation for the Dolphins. Theyre
better at home, and theyre playing against
a Kansas City defense thats missing three
starters (including a pair of Pro Bowlers).
Knowshon Moreno is out with a
dislocated elbow, so Lamar Miller is on the
radar as a possible big-time player for the
next two weeks (especially next week
against Oakland). Miller will be their
featured runner, and Miamis ground game
is a lot better this season. The offensive
line is improved, and the scheme is better.
At home (where they might benefit from
heat and humidity) and facing a defense
thats probably below-average against the
run, top-10 rushing numbers are possible.
Kansas City got gouged for 162 rushing
yards back in Week 1 before rebounding
with 88 yards in the loss at Denver. Were
putting Miami down for 120 rushing yards,
with Miller getting the bulk of it and
Damien Williams serving as a change-of-
pace guy off the bench. Miller is also an
above-average pass catcher; hes caught 6
passes in two games. We have issues
with Ryan Tannehill. Hes missing too
many big throws touchdowns. He doesnt
seem to be able to throw the long ball, and
those kind of misses can swing games. He
missed multiple touchdowns against New
England, and he wasnt any better at
Buffalo. He had Mike Wallace positioned
for a long touchdown, but the throw was
too far and turned into a contested ball
that was knocked down. He just doesnt
look like a top quarterback. And Tannehill
doesnt seem to have a good feel for
running the read-option. He doesnt keep
the ball often enough, and hes not gaining
anything when he does. Tannehill is a lot
faster than Nick Foles, but Foles does a
better job running those plays. So were
not big Tannehill fans. Here he faces a
secondary that will be without Eric Berry,
but can he take advantage? Kansas City
still has a pair of dangerous edge rushers.
This defense played well enough against
Peyton Manning last week, limiting him to
242 yards and 3 TDs (at Mile High, thats
an above-average day against Manning).
Kansas City was a disappointment in Week
1, letting Jake Locker throw for 266 and 2
TDs. Were putting Tannehill down for 235
yards and 1-2 TDs an average-type day.
Mike Wallace is a must-start kind of
guy right now. Theyre making a much
larger effort to get the ball in his hands.
Hes seen 19 targets in the first two
weeks, with 12 catches and 2 TDs. With
better throws, he would have another
couple touchdowns. Brian Hartline finished
with more catches and yards than Wallace
last year, when those guys were pretty
much interchangeable, but Wallace is way
ahead of Hartline now. Jarvis Landry
seems to have taken the No. 3 receiver
job. He played a lot more than Brandon
Gibson and Rishard Matthews at Buffalo.
Landry also returns punts and kickoffs, if
your league rewards such things.
Charles Clay is a healthy part of the
offense. Hes seen 14 targets the first two
weeks, 2nd-most on the team. Hell face a
defense thats allowed 3 TDs to tight ends
so far. Miami should win this game,
maybe comfortably, so were putting an
above-average grade on Caleb Sturgis. He
kicked 4 field goals in his last home game.
The Dolphins Defense looks like one of
the better options. It probably has a top-10
pass rush. Cameron Wake and Olivier
Vernon were all over Tom Brady in Week 1,
while Alex Smith is working behind a
depleted offensive line. Smith has been
sacked 6 times in two weeks, and were
thinking another 3-4 could be on the way.
Smith has thrown only 20 interceptions in
his last 42 starts, but if Miami can get a
lead in this game, hell have to open it up
and start taking more chances. In the last
six games Smith has lost by over a
touchdown, hes thrown 9 interceptions.
MINNESOTA (at N.O.):
The schedule makers havent been kind to
Minnesota. Last week they hosted an
offensive juggernaut coming off a tough
loss (New England). Now theyll travel to
face one, a Saints team that plays its best
ball at home. And not just on offense: a
year ago New Orleans allowed just 15.6
points in eight home games, compared to
22.3 on the road, so nearly a touchdown
fewer per game in the Superdome. San
Francisco (20) was the only visitor to score
more than 17 points against the Saints
last year. Tall order for the Vikings offense,
and thats without even factoring the
likelihood of the Adrian Peterson
controversy proving to be a major
distraction. On Monday, the Vikings said
theyd let the legal system play out with
regard to Adrian Peterson; by Wednesday,
with pressure and criticism coming from all
sides (and as high up as the Governor of
Minnesota), they deactivated him again.
Matt Asiata draws his second straight
start, and it seems safe to assume hell be
in that role for the foreseeable future. The
wild card is rookie Jerick McKinnon, who
played roughly a third of the snaps last
week and is a lot faster and more talented
than Asiata. McKinnon is pretty raw; he
played more quarterback than running back
in college. But no doubt the team would
like to get that talent on the field to give
defenses more to worry about than the
plodding Asiata. The matchup looks to be
at least an average one, with the Saints
allowing 122-123 yards and 1 TD in each
of their first two games. A year ago they
were 19th against the run. But once the
Vikings fall behind, and they probably will,
these backs will make their greatest
impacts in the passing game. Asiata took a
short throw down the sideline for a 25-yard
touchdown last week, but also let another
ball carom off his hands for an
interception. McKinnon was thrown to 3
times, catching 2 (although for just 5
yards). Our biggest concern with the
running game is not the defense or the
committee, but our sense that New
Orleans will put a lot of points on the board
in its home opener, forcing Minnesota to
the air. That didnt work out so well against
New England. When your head coach
has to confirm at his postgame press
conference that youre still the starting
quarterback, its probably not a good sign
for your longevity in the role. Not that Matt
Cassel is all bad, but he is what he is.
Hell be successful in weeks where the
running game and defense are playing well
and he doesnt have to force anything.
When the team falls behind, as it did
against the Patriots and likely will against
the Saints, his accuracy and decision-
making liabilities will crop up, probably in a
haze of turnovers. New Orleans has a good
pass rush (we think), though it hasnt
shown up yet this season (2 through two
games). It should be able to get some
pressure on Cassel, and the mistakes will
likely follow. The Vikings have lost three of
the nine games quarterbacked by Cassel
by double digits, and in those contests
hes thrown 2, 3 and 4 interceptions (just
3 interceptions in his other six full games).
This looks like a double-digit loss.
Cordarrelle Patterson ran for 102 yards
and a touchdown in Week 1, so its a little
odd he didnt handle the ball in that
capacity last week. Minnesota put him in
the backfield on a couple of plays but
didnt hand it off. Perhaps now that theyve
sufficiently cast some doubt on what theyll
do in those situations, theyll try the plays
that put the ball in their best playmakers
hands. Patterson looks a lot more
appealing as a fantasy prospect when hes
not entirely reliant on Cassel throwing him
the ball. In any case, the Saints had a lot
of trouble staying with Falcons receivers in
Week 1, and had a couple of breakdowns
against the Browns last week (including
one to set up the game-winning field goal).
Patterson is too talented not to get plenty
of chances with the ball in his hands one
way or another this week, especially with
Minnesota probably needing to take some
chances to keep up. Greg Jennings is a
lesser option, though weve noted his
strong rapport with Cassel. Against the
Patriots, he was an afterthought behind the
teams other pass catchers, with just 1
grab for 4 yards. Were more interested in
Kyle Rudolph, who caught a touchdown in
the opener and then was targeted a team-
high 8 times in Week 2. Hes a lot better
than what the Saints have seen from the
position so far, but Levine Toilolo caught a
touchdown and Gary Barnidge (Gary
Barnidge!) caught 4 balls for 41 yards.
Blair Walsh had a field goal blocked for a
touchdown last week, but otherwise is
solid. We think Minnesota will need to
score touchdowns rater than field goals
here, however. The Vikings Defense is
most interesting for Cordarrelle Pattersons
kick return potential on a fast track. It
probably wont get many sacks or turnovers
off Drew Brees.
NEW ENGLAND (vs. Oak.):
With the Patriots hosting one of the
leagues worst teams, we thought wed
explore how theyve fared in recent years
against pushovers teams that ended up
winning 5 or fewer games, which seems to
be a certainty with this Raiders squad. The
results werent as convincing as we
expected. In the last four years, New
England has played 10 such games. In
2010, they won three games against 4-12
Buffalo and Cincinnati teams, but lost to a
5-11 Cleveland team. In 2011, they edged
2-14 Indianapolis (31-24) and 5-11
Washington (34-27). In 2012, they were
upset 20-18 by a Cardinals team that
finished 5-11, and won 23-16 against a 2-
14 Jacksonville club. Last year they beat 2-
14 Houston by a field goal and 4-12
Cleveland by a point. So while theyve won
eight of ten against that lesser opposition,
only three times have they won by more
than a touchdown (and all three came back
in 2010). So while New England, should
win this game, we wont get all crazy
predicting a wild blowout where even their
second- and third-stringers have value. The
Vegas numbers suggest about a 30-17
win, which sounds about right. Were
not sure the Raiders are actually softest
against the run; a year ago, in fact, they
were much better against the run (13th)
than the pass (27th). But their offense is
weak enough that teams will emphasize
the ground game rather than risk making a
lot of mistakes through the air (and
possibly giving up a cheap touchdown).
Through two games theyve faced 6 more
rushing attempts than any other team.
Thats part of why theyre giving up a
league-worst 200 yards per game, even
though half a dozen teams are worse in
terms of yards per carry. In any case, they
can be run on, and thats probably what
New England will do. Stevan Ridley should
be the main ballcarrier. He seemed to be
on the outs in the preseason, but hes
started the first two games and got to tote
it 25 times in Week 2, with those carries
going for 101 yards and a touchdown.
Unless he fumbles it away (a legitimate
concern for those who put him in the
lineup), hell get the bulk of the rushing
attempts, especially once the team builds
a lead. Houston just pounded away at
Oaklands front seven with Arian Foster
last week, and our guess is the Patriots
will do the same. Back in 2011, the last
time these teams met, BenJarvus Green-
Ellis rushed for 75 yards and a touchdown,
and Ridley came in to rush for 97 yards
and a touchdown of his own. A good game
for Ridley probably wont be good for Shane
Vereen. Last week Vereen totaled just 41
yards, and if you look at his games from
last year when Ridley and/or LeGarrette
Blount had strong games, those were
typically his worst. In seven games last
year where that tandem was held under
100 yards (including the postseason),
Vereen totaled 159, 72, 91, 75, 162, 21
and 93 yards, with 48 receptions in those
seven games (nearly 7 per game; he had
just 6 receptions total in the three games
listed above). In this matchup, if you buy
into our expectations for Ridley, it makes
sense to downgrade Vereen. Tom Brady
is off to a slow start. He struggled in the
second half against Miami, then attempted
only 22 passes in a methodical win at
Minnesota, finishing with just 149 yards
and 1 TDs. Theres risk in underestimating
a quarterback of his caliber against a soft
defense, but this could be another quiet
game for him. Oakland has a punchless
offense and has really been pummeled on
the ground its first two weeks: 212 rushing
yards for the Jets, 188 for the Texans. The
Patriots have a much better passing game
than either of those teams, but if the
ground game is working, Brady wont need
to do as much. Were going with average to
below-average numbers for Brady, and that
projection filters down to the wide
receivers. The pecking order has been
pretty clearly established. Julian Edelman
is the top target, and should be a primary
read whenever Brady drops back to pass.
But big passing numbers dont look as
likely in this particular matchup. Danny
Amendola and Aaron Dobson are
secondary wideouts; those guys were only
targeted a combined 3 times at Minnesota.
Kenbrell Thompkins and Brandon LaFell
have quickly become afterthoughts, with
Thompkins inactive and LaFell not targeted
last week. Dobson appears to have passed
Thompkins and LaFell in the pecking order.
That could change based on matchups, but
probably not here. You cant drop Edelman
too far after he caught 6 of Bradys 15
completions at Minnesota; a similar
percentage of the passing game should be
in store. Note that when these teams met
in Oakland back in 2011, and Green-Ellis
and Ridley combined for 172 yards, Brady
still threw for a respectable 226 yards and
2 TDs. In that game Oakland was hopeless
trying to stay with Wes Welker, who caught
9 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown.
Thats the role Edelman holds in the
offense. Working his way back from
knee surgery, Rob Gronkowski has played
fewer than half the snaps in New Englands
first two games. Thats contributed to him
putting up modest numbers just 72 total
yards and 1 TD in those contests. But hes
been targeted 17 times, including 6 even
in Bradys quiet Week 2. Oakland doesnt
have anyone who can cover him, so its
risky to sit Gronkowski down. If you count
J.J. Watts short touchdown last week (he
was lined up as a tight end), that position
has done fine against Oakland thus far.
Jeff Cumberland caught 4 balls for 50
yards in the opener. Stephen
Gostkowski is at home and facing a soft
defense, but this could go similarly to the
2011 game, where he kicked 4 extra
points but just 1 field goal. The Patriots
Defense matches up with a rookie
quarterback, and should get some
opportunities for sacks, turnovers and
probably defensive touchdowns. Carr took
2 sacks in his first start and threw 2 picks
in his second, and New England baited
Matt Cassel into several mistakes once it
built a lead last week.
NEW ORLEANS (vs. Minn.):
The Saints are 0-2 after a pair of tough
losses, but those were both on the road,
where Sean Paytons team has traditionally
underperformed both on offense and
defense. Now theyre back at the friendly
Superdome, facing a team thats soft
defensively and (although well be careful
not to overrate it) has to be somewhat
distracted by the ongoing Adrian Peterson
controversy. Big game coming for New
Orleans. Drew Brees has been pretty
mortal thus far, averaging 285 yards and
throwing 3 TDs in two games. That was
against a Falcons defense that sees him
twice a year and a Cleveland defense with
a lot of talent in the secondary, and both
were on the road. Brees is much better at
home than away yardage is similar in
both places, but he throws a lot more
touchdowns at the Superdome. Last year it
was 27 TDs at home versus 12 on the
road, so more than a 2-1 margin.
Minnesota has allowed only 1 TD through
the air so far, but were dismissing the
Shaun Hill/Austin Davis aerial attack, and
New England pummeled the Vikings on the
ground and via turnovers. Last week
Minnesota allowed 37 TDs through the air,
which was 4 more than any other team
thats the kind of matchup Brees is looking
at, and no doubt the Saints will be in a
testy mood after dropping their first two
games, looking to remind everyone that
theyre one of the NFLs elite teams. Its
going back to 2011, but Brees shredded
the Vikings up when he faced them in
Minnesota that season, throwing for 412
yards and 5 TDs in a 42-20 win. Mark
Ingram (hand) is down for at least a
month, and thats a blow to this offense
he was running hard and averaging a
healthy 6.0 yards per carry. But the Saints
will persevere, we suspect, with Khiry
Robinson in that main running back role,
with Pierre Thomas likely continuing as the
passing downs back. Travaris Cadet will
also play, but Robinson should lead the
team in carries. Hes carried the ball just
14 times so far, but those have gone for
59 yards (4.2 per attempt) and a
touchdown. He proved in last years
playoffs he can handle a significant role,
with 45 yards in the win at Philadelphia
and 57 and a touchdown in the loss in
Seattle. Minnesota held the Rams to 72
yards in a lopsided win, but got mauled for
150 yards and a touchdown against New
England which team is more similar on
offense to the Saints? If you picked
Robinson up off waivers this week, dont
hesitate to throw him right into the lineup.
Theres a degree of week-to-week
unpredictability with the Saints passing
game. Receivers shuffle on and off the
field based on matchups, and then the
Browns did a nice job last week of taking
their primary targets, Marques Colston and
Brandin Cooks, away. But the Browns have
Joe Haden and Justin Gilbert, and the
Vikings cornerbacks arent in that league.
Colston should bounce back, and we
suspect the team will get the ball into
Cooks hands, as well. Cooks has touched
the ball 13 times on offense the first two
games, and the fast track of the
Superdome should help his game. Cooks
is also averaging 25 yards per game as a
runner. Kenny Stills also could be worth a
role of the dice. Brees tends to throw for 3-
plus touchdowns in a lot of his home
games, so the probability of hitting on one
of those 60-yard bombs to Stills is
significantly higher. Stills should be mostly
an outside speed receiver in this offense.
Probably too soon to talk about Jimmy
Graham breaking the tight end record for
receiving yards (1,327), but with 200
through two games, hes on pace to
shatter it. Graham caught 7 balls for 70
yards and a touchdown when these teams
met in 2011, just another day at the office
for him. Shayne Graham should be busy
in this game, but we suspect hell primarily
be kicking extra points. New Orleans
kicked 6 of them, and no field goals, in the
2011 meeting. Maybe Minnesotas
defense is a little better, but New Orleans
offense probably wont be stalling a lot.
The Saints Defense has been a
disappointment so far, but theres a lot of
potential to make things right against Matt
Cassel. His 4-interception, 6-sack game
against New England was how things have
tended to go for him when his team falls
behind, and thats our expectation for
Minnesota here.
N.Y. GIANTS (vs. Hou.):
The Texans have allowed just 20 points in
their first two games, but lets hold off on
proclaiming this any kind of defense to
avoid. A struggling Robert Griffin III and
Derek Carr; thats what the Texans have
faced so far. Not that the Giants offense is
playing well, but theyve faced pretty good
Detroit and Arizona defenses, and many of
their problems have been self-inflicted. We
wont underestimate the possibility of the
Giants scoring 20-plus points in this one
and getting their first win. In our eyes, with
the game being at MetLife, its a surprise
that Houston is favored. Start with
Rashad Jennings. He had a very soft
fumble to kill New Yorks chances at tying
up Arizona late last week. Hes off to a
slow start, as well, down at just 3.2 yards
per carry, with 1 TD. But the Giants want to
get that ground game going, and this may
be a defense to get it going against.
Houston, believe it or not, is allowing 5.8
yards per carry through two games worst
in the league. Alfred Morris carried 14
times for 91 yards (6.5), while Roy Helu
was at 4 for 46 (11.5). Darren McFadden
managed only 37 yards on 12 carries (3.1),
but hes not the back he once was, and he
scored a touchdown in that game (plus
Oakland is starting a rookie at
quarterback). Nothing special, we dont
think, about this run defense, so even
though Jennings is pretty ordinary, hell
have some chances to gain some yards.
Hes also been a productive receiver so far
4 catches for 45 yards in the opener, and
4 for 50 last week. He hasnt really been
pushed by rookie Andre Williams yet;
Williams is at 1.6 yards per carry and
displayed his lack of receiving ability by
dropping an easy chance against Arizona.
Dont hesitate to consider Jennings a
viable option in this game. Eli Manning
has thrown 4 picks through two games, but
he played fairly well against Arizona. He
threw for 277 yards and 2 TDs, and his 26
of 39 stat line would look even better if his
receivers hadnt dropped 4-5 passes.
Houston has allowed an average of 265
yards in its first two games, with 1 TD, and
theyve yet to face a quarterback as
capable when hes not throwing passes
up for grabs, anyway as Manning. Its a
good pass rush and a poor offensive line,
but we have some interest in Manning.
Wed be higher on him if we didnt think
the Giants would emphasize the run, and
probably have some success working the
ball downfield that way. Victor Cruz and
Rueben Randle are talented guys. Cruz has
proved it over the past several years, while
Randle has shown flashes like on an
impressive one-handed touchdown grab
against Patrick Peterson last week. Now
can they hang onto the ball with any
consistency? Cruz dropped several last
week, and Randle had a costly miscue late.
Houston didnt do anything special against
Pierre Garcon in Week 1 (10 for 77) and
gave up some nice numbers to James
Jones (9 for 112, TD) last week. Also
working in these players favor is that
Manning might have to lean on them a
little more than normal; third receiver Jerrel
Jernigan is done for the season with a foot
injury. Undrafted Corey Washington will
likely slide into that third spot, at least
until rookie Odell Beckham shakes his
hamstring injury, and either might take a
while to earn Mannings trust. Beckham
could add some playmaking sizzle into this
offense once hes up to speed. The
Giants deserve some credit for producing
fantasy-worthy tight ends. Jake Ballard
(604 yards) in 2011, Martellus Bennett
(626) in 2012, Brandon Myers (522) last
year. Now Larry Donnell has 12 receptions
for 137 yards and 1 TD through two
games. Houston gave up serviceable
games to Niles Paul (4 for 86) and Mychal
Rivera (5 for 31) in its first two. Donnell is
a big part of the offense right now; he was
on the field on a little 1-yard toss to
second tight end Daniel Fells last week.
Somewhat unbelievably, Josh Brown has
yet to attempt a field goal this season.
Houston has allowed 2 through two games,
so straight off the numbers, he has about
a 50 percent shot of kicking his first this
week. The Giants Defense faces a
quarterback in Ryan Fitzpatrick whos been
exceedingly careful thus far; no sacks or
interceptions in the first two games. Thats
been easy to do while controlling a couple
of teams that were struggling on offense,
but New York should be more competitive,
giving them a chance to show why
Fitzpatrick seems to wear out his welcome
in different NFL cities fairly quickly. New
Yorks pass rush looked good against the
Cardinals.
N.Y. JETS (vs. Chi.):
The Jets are a 1-point favorite in this game,
and thats probably not enough. Chicago is
on the road and dealing with a lot of
injuries. New York should control the line of
scrimmage on both sides of the ball, and
that could lead to a pretty comfortable win.
It hasnt really sunk in yet, but the Jets
have one of the leagues best running
games. This will be a top-5 running
offense. The Bears, on the other hand, had
the leagues worst run defense last year,
and it might still be a bottom-10 group. The
Bills ran for 193 yards against them in
Week 1, and the 49ers were on their way
to a similar kind of night until they started
shooting themselves in the foot. New York
ran for 212 and 146 yards in its first two
games, making us think they might churn
out about 170 in this one. Chris Johnson
and Chris Ivory will do most of the
damage, and this is more of an even time-
share that what you may have expected.
After two games, Johnson has a 25-23
edge in carries, while Ivory has a 145-89
edge in yards. Toss out a 71-yard
touchdown by Ivory and its been pretty
even. Ivory is their main back in short-
yardage situations. Johnson has the
advantage of also catching passes (hes
got 6 receptions after two weeks, while
Ivory wont catch 6 passes all year). Get
the picture? Johnson no doubt will run hard
in this primetime game looking to show
the nation that hes better than the back
the Titans released. Neither back is an
elite guy that anybody wants to plug into a
starting lineup, but theyre both good
enough that they need to be considered. If
the Jets score 14 rushing touchdowns this
year, Geno Smith will probably score about
4 himself, and probably 1-2 TDs will be
scored by Sheldon Richardson, the
defensive lineman they like to use as a
fullback at the goal line. Richardson scored
2 TDs late last year, and thats just the
kind of stunt Rex Ryan would probably love
to pull in front of a national TV audience.
Geno Smith should play a lesser role.
Hes not a great passer. He confirmed that
when he went only 16 of 32 at Green Bay.
And they dont want him giving away the
game by serving up turnovers against a
defense that picked off Colin Kaepernick 3
times on Sunday. Smiths main strength is
his mobility. Hes run for 64 yards and a
touchdown in the first two weeks. He ran
for 6 TDs in 16 games last year. But
running can get you only so far. Smith has
passed for only 221 and 176 yards in his
first two games, with 2 TDs and 2
interceptions. Tough to see him lighting up
a pass defense thats been pretty solid
against EJ Manuel and Colin Kaepernick in
its first two games. Not a great matchup
for the passing game, so were putting
modest grades on the pass catchers. Eric
Decker is the No. 1 option. Hes caught 9
passes for 137 yards and a touchdown in
the first two games. But he suffered a
hamstring injury at Green Bay, so his
status will need to be confirmed. Right now
were ranking him as if hell be OK. David
Nelson is the other outside receiver, while
Jeremy Kerley will work the slot, but no
reason to even think about those guys
unless Decker is ruled out (and even then
you wouldnt want to rely on them). Jeff
Cumberland is a pretty ordinary receiver;
hes caught 4 TDs since the start of the
2013 season. If the Jets can get their
running game fired up and take this game
by the horns, Nick Folk could be a top-5
kicker. He had multiple field goals in 12 of
his last 18 games. But the ingredients
looked even stronger back in Week 1
(when the team was home against the
Raiders) and he scored a modest 7 points
in a sluggish 19-14 win. The Jets
Defense will probably try to throw some
pressure at Jay Cutler. New York was able
to sack Aaron Rodgers 4 times on Sunday.
But Marc Trestman is careful about
keeping his quarterbacks out of harms
way. The Bears have allowed only 33 sacks
in 18 games since Trestman took over.
And New York doesnt have any
playmakers in its secondary (no
interceptions in two games).
OAKLAND (at N.E.):
We dont need to pick on the Raiders:
Charles Woodson will do it for us. We
suck, he said after Oakland fell to 0-2.
Close to halftime in that game, more than
half of Oaklands 78 yards of total offense
had come on a 41-yard quarterback draw.
It was the fourth quarter before they ran a
play inside the Houston 30-yard line. There
are some prideful veterans on this team
and strange things happen in the NFL every
week, but its difficult for us to see
Oaklands offense doing much of anything
in this game. Maurice Jones-Drew (hand
surgery) probably will miss at least one
more game, giving Darren McFadden
another shot at a featured role. McFadden
didnt do much with it against Houston (12
for 37, TD), but New Englands run defense
looks above average, rebounding last week
after struggling in the heat at Miami.
Setting aside a 58-yard quarterback
scramble, the Raiders as a team have
been under 50 rushing yards in both of
their games. They just look hopeless right
now. There was some talk last week about
Latavius Murray getting a shot, but he was
busy handling kickoffs against Houston,
carrying the ball just one time. James
Jones looked solid against Houston, as
long as you set aside the comical pass
play where he somehow managed to
commit 2 fumbles. Hes a capable if
undynamic wide receiver who can probably
be counted on for the occasional 5- or 6-
reception for 80-yard game, with much of
that production coming after Oakland falls
way behind (not that that matters in
fantasy leagues). Rod Streater (hip flexor)
isnt certain to be available, so Denarius
Moore and Andre Holmes will pick up extra
snaps if Streater cant go. Neither of those
players went over 45 yards last week even
with Derek Carr chucking the ball 42 times.
Moore got an end-zone look in that game,
drawing a fairly generous pass interference
penalty. New Englands secondary has
allowed 1 TD to a wide receiver thus far.
Derek Carr has looked serviceable,
considering he has essentially no chance
of succeeding. The offensive line is poor
and the receiving corps isnt much better,
and more often than not hell be
attempting to bring Oakland back from a
deficit. He finished with decent numbers
against Houston (263 yards and 1 TD),
which can probably be considered his
ceiling in most games. Maybe New England
loses interest in things upon building a big
lead and Carr comes up with 250ish yards
and 1-2 TDs, but it takes a pretty deep
league to seriously consider putting him
into a lineup. Oakland will no doubt
emphasize the ground game in an effort to
keep New Englands offense off the field,
at least for a while. Carr will help his
numbers by running; those were the
teams best offensive plays against
Houston. Combine his rushing production
with some likely garbage-time passing
stats and maybe Carr sneaks into a lineup
in some leagues, but it could just as easily
be a meltdown game against one of the
leagues better defenses in its home
opener. Mychal Rivera has put up
exactly 31 yards in each of the first two
games. Thats about what to expect from
him here. New England hasnt allowed a
tight end to score in five straight dating
back to last season. Sebastian
Janikowski has no value; tough to kick
field goals when you cant move the ball
consistently, and when the other team is
scoring touchdowns. The Raiders
Defense shouldnt get much off Tom Brady.
Hes yet to throw an interception, and
taking 4 sacks from a superior Miami pass
rush doesnt seems as relevant as the 1
he took at Minnesota last week (since
were thinking this game might closely
resemble that one).
PHILADELPHIA (vs. Wash.):
Philadelphias offense has been a slight
disappointment thus far. The running game
hasnt been as dominant, and theyve
fallen behind in back-to-back games.
Theyve managed to score 34 and 30
points, going 2-0, but it doesnt seem as
effective as last year. Part of this can be
attributed to defenses being more
prepared for the challenges of facing this
up-tempo spread scheme they know its
coming now. And Washington fits this
scheme. When these teams met in Week 1
a year ago, Washington had no idea what
was coming, giving up 263 rushing yards
and 33 points. When they met later in the
year (at Philadelphia) the Eagles ran for
only 126 yards and scored 9 fewer points.
Washingtons defense has been solid thus
far, giving up only one touchdown each to
Houston and Jacksonville. Philadelphia, it
seems, is more likely to score in the mid-
20s rather than moving up into the 30-plus
range. The running game isnt working
quite like last year. LeSean McCoy is
averaging only 3.7 yards per carry. Hes
been under 4.0 per carry in both games.
Last year he averaged under 4.0 in only 5
of 16 games; he averaged 5.1 overall. Part
of this can be attributed to offensive line
issues, but the larger dynamic is probably
simply defenses being better prepared.
McCoy ran for 184 yards in Week 1 at
Washington last year, when the defense
simply wasnt prepared. He went for 77
yards on 20 carries in the rematch later in
the year, which is a far better indicator of
what to expect this year. Philadelphia has
run for 145 and 127 yards in its first two
games, and it could have been under 100
yards in both of those games if not for a
couple of big runs. Below-average matchup
for the Philadelphia running game (though
below-average for the Eagles is still a top-
10 number). McCoy should get around 20
carries, but the Eagles will also work in
Darren Sproles, and with his speed there
will be many games this year where he
busts loose for long gainers. Two games
into the season, Sproles has a lot fewer
touches than McCoy but better overall
numbers. Sproles has scored on 19- and
49-yard touchdown runs, and hes also
caught 11 passes for 166 yards. As
opponents get better against
Philadelphias running game, that should
benefit Nick Foles. Hes had to pass for
322 and 331 yards in the first two games.
He had 300 yards in only two starts all of
last year. A month or so ago, we thought
Foles would average about 250 passing
yards per game; now were thinking hes
more of a 280-yard guy. But Foles thus far
hasnt been quite as effective as last year.
Hes completing under 59 percent, and
hes thrown only 3 TDs. Last year he
completed 64 percent, with 24 TDs in his
10 starts. Definitely there will be weeks
against good defenses where hes off.
Washington doesnt necessarily have a
great defense, but it does have a good
pass rush; it sacked Chad Henne 10 times
on Sunday. Foles passed for 298 yards
against Washington last year, with no
touchdowns but a touchdown run. Were
thinking about 290 yards and 1-2 TDs
makes sense this time around. After
two weeks, Jeremy Maclin looks a lot
better than Riley Cooper. Maclin has
caught 8 passes for 142 yards and 2 TDs.
Cooper has caught only 5 passes for 37
yards, with no touchdowns. Cooper looks
very much like an ancillary part. He lines up
as an outside receiver, and the intention is
to occasionally throw him a deep ball. He
dropped a touchdown at Indianapolis,
which would make him look more
impressive, but right now he doesnt really
look much better than rookie Jordan
Matthews, whos playing about as much.
And theyre working Zach Ertz into the
offense more. Just two weeks in the
season, Ertz already has 6 catches over 20
yards. Last year Jimmy Graham led all tight
ends with 19 of those. For all of these
pass catchers, it looks like an average-type
situation. Were slotting them about where
they go in a typical week. We put a
modest grade on Cody Parkey heading into
the season because Philadelphia was so
good last year at scoring touchdowns
rather than field goals. Only the Broncos
and Bengals were better at putting the ball
in the end zone, so the Eagles ranked only
19th in kicking points. Plus Parkey wasnt
accurate enough at Auburn. But two weeks
into the season, hes kicked 5 field goals
and scored 10 and 12 points. If the
offense doesnt get back to being more
efficient in the red zone, he could be a top-
5 kicker. Were slotting the Eagles
Defense as a middle-of-the-pack unit. Kirk
Cousins played well off the bench last
week, but he doesnt have great mobility or
arm strength. He was intercepted 7 times
last year while attempting only 155
passes. To us, Philadelphia looks better
than average in interception potential and
below average in sacks. The Eagles tend to
give up more yards and points than other
teams because of their up-tempo offense,
so thats not included in our standard
rankings.
PITTSBURGH (at Car.):
The Steelers havent scored a touchdown
in their last six quarters. Now theyre on
the road against probably the best defense
in the league. Tough to see them scoring
more than 17 points (and were not
promising theyll score more than 10).
The Panthers have the rock-solid run
defense. They allowed only 70 yards last
week to the Lions, and they gave up only
102 at Tampa Bay on opening day (over
half of which came on an unlikely carry by
fullback Jovorskie Lane). Carolina has
allowed only 4 rushing touchdowns in its
last 18 games. So definitely a below-
average situation for LeVeon Bell. But Bell
is a good enough back that essentially
everyone who drafted him has little choice
but to play him anyway. Bell is that good
probably one of the five best backs in the
league right now. After losing 15-20
pounds in the offseason, hes noticeably
faster and more elusive. Hes using moves
that he simply didnt have last year. Bell
has averaged over 5 yards per carry in both
games, and hes also a big part of their
passing game, with 11 catches for 136
yards. So in a performance-type fantasy
system, you have to respect that Bell is
still a realistic threat to go for 120-plus
total yards. He might run for 80 yards, and
could catch a bunch of dumpoff passes.
Joique Bell caught 6 passes for 61 yards
against the Panthers on Sunday. Its a poor
situation for Bell (especially for
touchdowns) but there just arent many
backs that put up those kind of yards.
LeGarrette Blount is pretty much just a
short-yardage back right now. For him to
have a good game, the ball needs to wind
up on the 1- or 2-yard line, and then hes
got to punch it in. Doesnt look particularly
likely. Like Bell, Antonio Brown is
probably too good to sit down. Hes really
stepped up his game. With his after-the-
catch ability and his toughness, he might
be one of the top half-dozen receivers in
the league. Hes probably more of a go-to
receiver than anybody in the league. Hes
caught at least 5 passes a league-high 18
games in a row. While this defense is
outstanding, its not as formidable against
the pass. Its allowed over 280 passing
yards in six of its last nine games, with the
only teams under that mark lesser teams
that simply dont pass the ball that well
(Bucs twice and Jets). Brown should be
fine for catches and yards, though his
scoring potential is lower than usual. The
Bucs have allowed only 20 TD passes in
their last 18 games, and only 8 of those
have gone to wide receivers. The same
kind of scouting report applies for Markus
Wheaton. Hell be busy; hell get some
touches hes caught 11 passes the first
two weeks but less likely than usual to
score. Wheaton also should pick up about
10 yards as a runner in a lot of games.
Theyre using him on end-arounds. If you
want to play around with the numbers, you
might talk yourself into starting Heath
Miller. Of the last 20 touchdown passes
allowed by Carolina, after all, half have
gone to tight ends. But half of those 10
tight end touchdowns were caught by
Jimmy Graham, Rob Gronkowski and Tony
Gonzalez, and Miller isnt one of those kind
of guys. Were not crazy about Ben
Roethlisberger. Hes a capable
quarterback who can move the chains and
pile up some yards. Of the last nine
quarterbacks to start against this defense,
two thirds put up at least 280 yards, and
the three exceptions were lesser options
(Mike Glenn, Josh McCown and Geno
Smith). But its tough to get around the
reality that Carolina has allowed only 20 TD
passes in its last 18 games.
Roethlisberger has thrown only one this
year, and it was against a defense thats a
lot worse than what hell see on Sunday.
With there being a good chance
Pittsburgh scores south of 20 points,
Shaun Suisham looks like one of the
bottom handful of kickers this week. For
much of the 90s and most of this century,
the Steelers Defense has been about the
best in the league. But its system doesnt
seem to work anymore. The sacks and
turnovers arent occurring anymore, and
that looks like it will be the case again this
year. Pittsburgh has only 3 sacks and no
takeaways after two weeks.
ST. LOUIS (vs. Dall.):
Weve spent a lot of time ripping the
Cowboys defense, but maybe weve
underestimated them. They did a credible
job despite losing to San Francisco in
Week 1 (just 319 yards of net offense in
that game), and frustrated the Titans for
most of their 26-10 win in Tennessee. We
are not, therefore, willing to promise big
offensive numbers out of St. Louis. The
Rams have scored just 1 TD and 25 total
points through their first two games.
Zac Stacy should lead the way. Not
because hes a dominant runner (hes
down at 3.8 yards per carry, similar to
last year), or because Dallas is especially
soft against the run (just 103 yards per
game and a rushing score by Carlos Hyde
so far). But St. Louis wants to run the
ball, and theyve got better personnel
there than in the passing game
(especially at quarterback, where theyll
be relying on either an inexperienced
young backup quarterback or a beat-up
older one). Stacy has carried the ball 30
times with a long run of 12 yards. He lost
a fumble last week, leading to a go-ahead
Tampa Bay touchdown, but was back out
there for the next series, with Benny
Cunningham remaining in a secondary,
change-of-pace role. Cunningham could
play more in passing situations, but hes
not particularly dynamic in that regard;
just, better than Stacy. If the ball winds
up near the goal line, Stacy is likely to get
the carries; thats the primary reason to
put him into a lineup. When the Rams lost
31-7 in Dallas a year ago, the team was
trying to get Isaiah Pead going. He carries
6 times for 20 yards, so less effective
than Cunningham (4 for 16). The teams
struggles to run the ball in that game
paved the way for Stacys emergence the
rest of the way. The matchup looks OK,
but as we said earlier, its not quite as
exciting as we were expecting. Tennessee
(mostly because they fell behind early)
didnt put up great rushing numbers
against this defense last week. Frank
Gore averaged just 4.1 yards per carry
even with San Francisco enjoying a big
lead for most of the game. We have
some interest in Jared Cook. Although the
Cowboys defense hasnt been as bad as
we were anticipating, theres one area
where its been notably lacking: defending
the tight end.
Tight ends against Dallas
Player No Yds TD
Vernon Davis 4 44 2
Delanie Walker 10 142 1
Its a small sample set, but dipping back
into last season, Andrew Quarless and
Brent Celek caught touchdowns against the
Cowboys in the last three games of the
year, as well. Cook isnt as good as Davis
or Walker, but like those players hes an
athletic guy whos difficult to handle. The
Rams also have Lance Kendricks, but
Cooks been more productive (8 for 102
through two games, compared to 5 for 37
for Kendricks). If youre in a bind at the
position, Cook is worth a dice roll. The
other receiver to consider is Brian Quick.
Quicks caught 14 passes through the first
two games, and looks like hes finally
putting it all together out there. Imagine if
he were working with a better quarterback.
The Cowboys havent allowed a touchdown
pass to a wide receiver yet (all 3 have gone
to tight ends) but its early. After Quick
things get murky. Kenny Britt is the other
starter, but not that youd notice; just 1
reception on 4 targets so far. Tavon Austin
has a sprained knee; he probably will be
done for a game or two. Stedman Bailey is
expected to return from suspension, but it
might take him a while to adjust into the
offense and its new starting quarterback. It
would take a very deep league to consider
starting any wideout but Quick, although
Bailey looks like a hold; see if he emerges
as the No. 2. He cant bring much less to
the table than Britt, Austin or Austin
Pettis, who had a big catch and a big drop
late last week. Austin Davis got a win at
Tampa Bay fortunate, with time running
out with the Bucs in field goal range, but
whatever. Jeff Fisher says Shaun Hill is the
starter when healthy; hes dealing with a
thigh injury, but doesnt look too badly hurt.
Maybe Fisher is telling the truth, but Hill
isnt Kurt Warner, so theres little reason
to rush the veteran back into action. Davis
completed 76 percent of his passes last
week and didnt make any mistakes, but
hes attempted 52 passes the last two
games without throwing a touchdown, so
hes not likely to help fantasy teams,
either. Whichever quarterback starts
should manage a run-dominated offense
and only throw many passes if the team
falls way behind (which is possible).
Greg Zuerlein has six field goals in the
first two games. The Rams Defense is
struggling versus the run, and its poor
history against DeMarco Murray has us
thinking that could happen again this week.
Difficult to record sacks or interceptions
when you cant force opponents to the air;
St. Louis has only one of each on the
season. Tavon Austin sitting out reduces
the value of the return game, as well.
SAN DIEGO (at Buff.):
The Chargers look like a playoff team
solid on defense, and they can attack in a
variety of ways. Theyd beat the Bills on a
neutral field. But its in Buffalo, and theres
some excitement in western New York with
that team off to a 2-0 start. Well call it a
pick em type game, slotting both teams in
the range of 20-23 points. Ryan
Mathews (sprained knee) should miss at
least a month, but that shouldnt affect the
offense too much. Donald Brown is just
about as good and the same kind of back.
Theyll plug him in and get the same kind
of production. This looks like an average-
type matchup for him. Buffalo has some
good personnel on its defensive line, but
that was a bottom-5 run defense last year.
Mathews averaged 96 yards per game last
year (83 run, 13 rec), with 7 TDs in 15
games, and thats probably about Browns
ceiling. The Chargers also have Danny
Woodhead, and they could use him just a
little more than usual. Woodhead is a run-
catch combo threat, and as Darren Sproles
showed on Monday night, those kind of
players can cause assignment headaches
for defenses. Woodhead averaged 27
rushing and 38 receiving yards last year,
with 8 TDs in 16 games. Philip Rivers
seemed to be playing his way out of the
league two years ago, with too many
sacks, interceptions and fumbles.
(Remember the discussions about whether
there was something physically wrong with
his arm?) But with Mike McCoy running
that offense, Rivers is clearly a top-10
passer again. He has the veteran smarts
and necessary pass catchers to break
down defenses, as underscored by 3
touchdowns last week against Seattle. This
looks like an average-type matchup for him
this week. Hes on the road and Buffalo
ranked 5th against the pass last year, but
Jay Cutler passed for 349 yards and 2 TDs
against that defense back in Week 1. Ryan
Tannehill went for 241 and a touchdown
last week, and he left some plays on the
field. We expect a typical type of game out
of Rivers, and typical for him this year
seems to be 260-270 yards per game, with
maybe 30 touchdowns on the season.
Antonio Gates is off to a great start this
year. Hes led the team in catches in both
games and had the 3-TD dragon-slayer
game against Seattle last week. In general,
you dont sit down a hot player. But as a
reminder, the Chargers also have another
tight end who might be even more talented.
Ladarius Green is way faster than Gates,
and while theyve pretty much ignored him
the first two weeks, theyll work him in at
some point. Average-type matchup for
these guys. With Gates being hot, you go
ahead and start him. With Green being
cold, hes best left on the bench until
theres some kind of sign hell be included
more. Keenan Allen looks like their best
wide receiver. Last week they were
comfortable throwing to him when Richard
Sherman was covering. Thats how good he
is. But San Diegos other receivers are
also capable. Eddie Royal tied for a team-
high with 7 catches last week. Malcom
Floyd had 4 catches and a touchdown back
in Week 1. Each of these wide receivers
will be the best on the team in multiple
weeks this week. This time around, its an
average-type situation for each of them.
We generally like San Diego, and it logically
follows that Nick Novak might end up
being a top-5 kicker. He knocked in 12
points against Seattle, and he had 144
points last season. But kickers tend to go
as their team goes, making this just a so-
so week for him. Were putting a
cautious grade on the Chargers Defense.
As poorly as EJ Manuel played in the
preseason, its possible hell completely
melt down at some point, taking sacks and
throwing balls all over the place. But hes
held up fine thus far, with only one sack
and one interception. Hes at home, and
hes facing a defense that doesnt rush the
passer as well as the Miami defense he
saw on Sunday. San Diego probably will
finish this season about average in sacks
and interceptions.
SAN FRANCISCO (at Ariz.):
The 49ers seem to have offensive
problems. Colin Kaepernick struggled for
most of last year, and he still seems to
have issues with decision making when
hes in the pocket. And the entire offense
sputtered all through the preseason. The
team managed to score 28 points in Dallas
in Week 1, but two of those touchdowns
really belonged to the defense. And the
offense disappeared in the second half of
the loss to Chicago. Now theyre on the
road against an Arizona defense thats
probably better than either of those two. It
doesnt look good. The problems start with
Kaepernick. Hes a great runner, but
theyre trying to avoid using him too much
in that capacity they want to develop him
to where hes reading and adjusting to
defenses properly rather than just taking
off every time he gets the first sniff of
trouble. Hes averaged only 33 rushing
yards in his 25 regular-season starts as a
pro, with 6 TDs (modest rushing numbers,
compared to what hes done in the
playoffs). And as a passer, he simply
hasnt taken off. He averaged only 200
yards per game last year, with 21 TDs. He
doesnt look much better this season
201 yards at Dallas, and 248 yards
against Chicago (but with 3 interceptions
and only one touchdown). Arizona has
allowed 238 and 277 passing yards in its
first two, with 3 TDs, but were hesitant to
promise anything more than about 220
yards and a touchdown from Kaepernick.
Hes got a strong track record against this
opponent, at least, with 2 TD passes in
each of his three career meetings, and
above-average yards 276, 252 and 310.
Kaepernick has the great mobility, but just
47 rushing yards in three career Arizona
games, with no touchdowns. A below-
average matchup for the passing game, we
think, so were not terribly interested in the
49ers pass catchers. Vernon Davis injured
an ankle against Chicago. Hes supposedly
avoided the dreaded high-ankle sprain, but
if he plays it will be at less than 100
percent. He caught 3 TDs against the
Cardinals last year. If Davis sits, it will
benefit Anquan Boldin and Michael
Crabtree. Boldin spent a lot of years in
Arizona, which might put a little extra
bounce in his step. He had one of his best
games of last year at Arizona, catching 9
passes for 149 yards and a touchdown.
But he wasnt a factor in the other
Cardinals game (3 catches, 28 yards) even
though Kaepernick threw for 252. Frank
Gore played well enough against Chicago,
banging out 63 yards at close to 5 yards
per carry. He had a long run called back by
a hold. But at 31, you have to wonder how
long he can keep it up. Carlos Hyde carried
only 4 times for 0 yards against Chicago,
but weve seen enough in limited playing
time (including preseason) to conclude
hes just bigger and faster. Theyll probably
have to start expanding his role at some
point, and at that point you wont want to
be holding Gore. Its a tough matchup for
both of them. Arizona ranked 3rd in run
defense last year, and it looks almost as
tough this year, giving up only 52 yards
against San Diego and 81 at New York.
Gore went for 101 yards in one of the
Arizona games last year, but he ran for only
14 yards on 13 carries in his last game
against them. With the general declining
condition of the team around him, were
not sure Phil Dawson is a top-5 kicker
anymore. Hes scored only 4 and 8 points
in the first two games, which isnt Dawson-
like production. Were not particularly
interested in the 49ers Defense. It had a
couple of big takeaways at Dallas, but its
simply lost too much talent. It doesnt have
enough pass rush, and the secondary is a
concern. Carson Palmer isnt a defense-
friendly opponent. Setting aside one
nightmare game at Seattle, hes thrown
only 5 interceptions in his last nine games,
with 21 sacks. Well have slightly more
interest in this defense if Palmer isnt able
to play, in which case Drew Stanton would
fill in.
SEATTLE (vs. Den.):
The Seahawks got ambushed last week in
San Diego, but no reason to get too
concerned. They still appear to be the best
team in the league, and their offense is
better than in recent years. Theyve got the
efficient passing game, and they can run
the ball on anyone. Denver has a quality
defense, so we cant guarantee a big
score, but Seattle at home is capable of
scoring 30-plus against any defense.
The Broncos are above-average against the
run, but Marshawn Lynch might go for 100
yards and a touchdown anyway. The
Seahawks are better at home, and their
running game has looked outstanding thus
far. They ran the ball well in both of their
significant preseason games. Lynch went
for 110 and 2 TDs in the opener against
the Packers, then he averaged 6.0 yards
per carry but was underused at San Diego.
Lynch is better at home, and he tends to
be at his best when the stakes start
getting higher. Including the playoffs, hes
averaged 90 rushing yards in his last 11
games at home, with 14 TDs. Lynch wasnt
a big factor in the Super Bowl, running for
only 39 yards and a touchdown on 15
carries, but thats not a big deal. Hes one
of the leagues best, and you let him do
his thing. Russell Wilson hasnt put up
big yardage numbers thus far. Hes thrown
for only 191 and 202 yards in the two
games. But hes been efficient, and hes
putting the ball in the end zone 2 TDs in
each game. Wilsons had a passer rating
over 110 in each game. Also keep in mind
that hes a capable runner; he ran for 3
TDs in the preseason. This is a good
defense hell face; the Broncos have a pair
of feared pass rushers, and theyve added
a lockdown corner. But for fantasy
purposes, it looks like a pretty typical
matchup for Wilson. When these teams
last met (in the Super Bowl) Wilson turned
in one of his typical games 72 percent
passing, with 206 yards and 2 TDs as a
passer and another 26 yards on 3
scrambles. It looks like an average-type
matchup for Seattles wide receivers.
Percy Harvin and Doug Baldwin are the
starters, but Jermaine Kearse will play
almost as much. All three of them scored
in the Super Bowl. Baldwin led them with 5
catches. Kearse had 4 receptions, with a
second touchdown stripped out of his
hands as he was controlling it in the end
zone. Harvin wasnt as acclimated to the
offense at that time but scored on a kickoff
return and gained 45 yards on two jet
sweeps. Those end-around plays have
been a big part of Seattles offense early,
so it looks like Harvin will have plenty of
games with 20-plus rushing yards. Hes
also more of a primary target in the
passing game (he caught all 7 passes
thrown his way against Green Bay). With
the way Seattle uses its wide receivers
(theyll rotate at least two other backup
receivers into the game) they dont really
have a guy that Aqib Talib will try to take
out of the game. They run Harvin across
the field too much on short routes to try to
cover him man-to-man. Zach Miller
seems to have upped his game some this
year; he was outstanding in their opener.
But you run into the same deal with him as
the wide receivers theyre almost as
likely to look to their second tight end
(Luke Willson) inside the red zone. With
the way Seattle mows down opponents at
home, Steven Hauschka appears to be
about as good as any kicking prospect this
week. Including the playoffs, hes scored
103 points in his last 11 games at home
just one poor game in there (4 against
Arizona). Hauschka knocked in 11 points
against Denver in the Super Bowl last year.
Were putting the Seahawks Defense
lower than you might think. Great unit
one of the leagues all-time best but its
tough trying to get sacks and turnovers off
Peyton Manning. In his last 18 games,
hes given up only 20 sacks and 10
interceptions. As well as Seattle played
against Manning in the Super Bowl last
year, it got only one sack in that game. It
also got 2 interceptions and a fumble in
that game (helping them to a touchdown
and a safety) but that will be tough to
repeat. Percy Harvin might be the leagues
best kick returner, but with the way
Brandon McManus booms his kickoffs,
were not confident Harvin will even get to
return any. When Denver played a
preseason game at Dallas, all of
McManus kickoffs were landing outside
the back of the end zone. Harvin, of
course, had the 87-yard kickoff return
touchdown in the Super Bowl against these
guys, but to pull that off again, hes got to
get the ball in his hands.
TAMPA BAY (at Atl.):
The Buccaneers have opened with a couple
of narrow defeats, and scored just 31 total
points in those games. Help may be on the
way, however: Atlanta allowed 472 yards of
offense to the Saints in Week 1, and then
served up another 472 total yards at
Cincinnati last week. Tampa Bay doesnt
have nearly the firepower of those teams,
and these Thursday night divisional games
tend to be lower scoring. But after
struggling against the Panthers and Rams
the last two weeks, the Bucs should
benefit from facing a much softer
opponent, maybe working their way up to
20 points for the first time this season.
Note also that both games between these
teams a year ago were high-scoring: 31-23
in Atlanta, 41-28 in Tampa, with the home
team winning both games. Doug Martin
sat out last weeks game with a knee
injury, after Lovie Smith downplayed it as
a minor deal, and Martin was able to put
in limited practices on Thursday and Friday.
Take that as evidence Smith may not be
entirely forthcoming with injury information.
Martin was able to put in a limited practice
on Tuesday. Even if Martin is healthy, it
seems he wont be a workhorse back.
Weve been inclined to dismiss Bobby
Rainey, but the coaching staff likes him,
and Rainey had a strong game against St.
Louis, piling up 144 yards on 22 carries
(6.5) and catching 3 passes for 30 yards
more. Rainey isnt going away we cant
even guarantee he hasnt moved past
Martin so look for some sort of
committee going forward. Atlanta got hit for
119 yards and 3 TDs by Saints running
backs, and allowed another 164 and 2 TDs
to the Giovani Bernard/Jeremy Hill tandem.
A lot of that was due to volume (New
Orleans was at 4.6 yards per carry,
Cincinnati at 3.9), but the matchup looks
fine. The uncertainty of how carries will be
distributed, however, has us putting a
modest grade on both backs. Should
Martin be ruled out, wed have a lot more
interest in Rainey, since hed likely play
close to full-time. Mike James got only 6
carries last week, and they went for just 7
yards. Josh McCown led a high-flying
passing offense in Chicago, and the Bucs
have two big, talented wideouts in Vincent
Jackson and Mike Evans. Those guys have
done very little the first two games.
Jackson averages 44 yards, Evans 43.
McCown has been under 200 passing
yards in each of the first two games,
salvaging some fantasy value by throwing
for a pair of fourth-quarter scores in the
Carolina game (after falling behind 17-0)
and running for 2 TDs against the Rams.
This is a pretty soft pass defense those
guys will face. The Falcons let Marques
Colston, Jimmy Graham and Brandin Cooks
all up over 77 yards in their opener, then
let Mohamed Sanu and Giovani Bernard
over that total on Sunday (with A.J. Green
being sidelined early due to injury). Their
next sack will be their first on the season.
Were being careful not to promise too
much from these players out of the feeling
that the ground game will be effective, but
the matchup is favorable enough. Jackson
in particular may have too much potential
for most fantasy teams to sit down. He
caught 10 passes in each meeting a year
ago, for 138 and 165 yards, with 3 TDs.
Evans was shaken up after a big hit on the
game-ending play last week, but hes fine;
he practiced on Tuesday. Sounds like
Austin Seferian-Jenkins (foot) will miss his
second straight game, putting Brandon
Myers in the featured tight end role. Just
two catches last week. Tim Wright caught
only 3 passes in the series a year ago.
Patrick Murray had a 24-yard kick blocked
in a 2-point loss, so he might be on thin
ice. Tampa did kick 5 field goals in this
series a year ago. The Buccaneers
Defense seems a poor bet to get much off
Matt Ryan, generally difficult to sack and
careful with the football (though neither
were true at Cincinnati last week). Thats a
better defense, and he didnt have his
preferred left tackle. Lovie Smiths defense
has only 3 sacks and no interceptions so
far, despite facing a better of lesser
backup quarterbacks.
TENNESSEE (at Cin.):
The Titans were impressive winning at
Kansas City, but their home loss to Dallas
served as a reminder that theres nothing
particularly special about this team. Now
theyre on the road against one of the
AFCs best teams on both sides of the ball.
Were not expecting much out of
Tennessee. Its not entirely surprising
that the Titans seem to be ready to start
moving on from Shonn Greene. They made
Bishop Sankey the first running back
drafted, after all, a strong indication that
they were looking to upgrade at the
position. Thats not to say anyone should
plug Sankey into a lineup Greene will
continue to start and probably get the most
carries. But both backs got snaps early on
against Dallas, and Dexter McCluster and
Leon Washington will play in passing
situations (and thats not only on third
downs; the Titans have been using a lot of
shotgun formations throughout their
games). Greene got only 5 carries against
Dallas, McCluster 4 and Sankey 2. That
was in a game where Tennessee fell
behind early, but this one might go
similarly. Best we can say for the ground
game is that its too soon to say the
Bengals have an elite run defense. Theyve
held their first two opponents to an
average of 94 yards, but those teams
(Ravens and Falcons) have weak rushing
attacks anyway. But they were very strong
last year (5th), and even tougher until
losing tackle Geno Atkins midseason. Poor
situation for Greene and Co. McCluster,
who would get most work in passing
situations, looks like the best bet, but we
cant even be certain hell play. He injured
a foot against the Cowboys and was in a
walking boot afterward. If he sits out,
Washington would probably get those
chances. Sankey is a player to stash in
case his role increases. Justin Hunter,
Kendall Wright and Nate Washington will
all play, but were not sure any will put up
good numbers. The Bengals were 4th
against the pass a year ago. Theyve
started the year by really frustrating Matt
Ryan (231 yards, 1 TD). Joe Flacco
reached 345, but that was on 62 attempts,
and included an unlikely 80-yard play to
Steve Smith, their only touchdown pass in
that game. This is a three-wide receiver
offense and all those guys are on the field
extensively, but all are at 30-45 yards per
game, so its not happening to great effect.
Wright will catch the most passes, Hunter
is getting downfield for bigger plays. Wright
has the only touchdown so far. We view
Hunter as the most talented and most
likely to break out in a given week, but this
probably wont be the defense it happens
again. Delanie Walker is the actual top
option, a go-to receiver in this offense.
Hes having a big year, with 13 catches for
179 yards and 2 TDs so far. The Ravens
had a lot of success with their tight ends
against this defense. Dennis Pitta caught
10 balls for 83 yards, and Owen Daniels
caught 4 balls for 34 more. Tennessee
probably wont be as productive through
the air, but another good game out of
Walker looks reasonable. Weve seen
some good things out of Jake Locker
under Ken Whisenhunt. Hes seemed
comfortable running the offense, using all
his targets and moving the ball. One
mistake that went for an interception
against the Cowboys, but the other was a
ball tipped at the line. Hes taken 6 sacks
so far, however, and now hell face a tough
defense in a hostile environment.
Tennessee should try to keep things
simple and work some shorter stuff,
defusing this pass rush and keeping
Locker in one piece. Were not eager to
test him in this matchup. Just one field
goal in each game against the Bengals so
far, and a better than average 26 all of last
season. We will pass on Ryan Succop.
The Titans Defense shouldnt get much off
Andy Dalton. Playing behind one of the
leagues best offensive lines, hes yet to
turn it over or take a sack through the first
two games.
WASHINGTON (at Phil.):
Washington probably wont win on Sunday,
but it can get in and trade punches. It
might have success with its running game.
And if the Eagles are successful in piling
up yards and points with their up-tempo
offense, then there will simply be more
plays available. The Eagles won both
meetings last year, but Robert Griffin III
still threw for 329 and 264 yards, with 2
TDs in each game. Alfred Morris is a
top runner right now. Hes big and decisive,
and this week hes going against a
defense that was surprisingly soft against
the run at Indianapolis on Monday night,
letting both Ahmad Bradshaw and Trent
Richardson go over 70 yards. Morris is
better than either of those guys. Hes
averaging 4.9 yards per attempt, and went
for 93 yards on 22 carries in his last game
against Philadelphia. Hell probably go for
80-plus yards (and were not saying he
cant go for 110). Not a factor at all,
however, in the passing game, which is a
gut punch if youre trying to start him in a
PPR format. Kirk Cousins might be
better right now than Robert Griffin III. He
doesnt have a strong enough arm and
isnt mobile, but hes getting rid of the ball
decisively. Hes got plenty of good
weapons at his disposal, and
Philadelphias defense could be knocked
on its heels if Morris is gobbling up yards.
With the extra plays in their games, the
Eagles allowed a league-high 306 passing
yards per game last year. They got hit for
266 by Chad Henne in Week 1. The Colts
opted to go with a more ground-oriented
approach on Monday, with Andrew Luck
passing for only 172 (but with 3 TDs).
Theres a difference, of course, between
doing it in the preseason and against
lesser defenses (like Jacksonville).
Cousins wasnt impressive when they let
him start the final three games last year,
completing only 52 percent of his passes
in three games, with 4 TDs and 7
interceptions. But were putting him down
for 240 yards and 1-2 TDs. If they played
this game all year, were figuring hed put
up about 24 TDs. Its a reasonable
enough situation for the pass catchers.
Philadelphia has allowed a lot of passing
production in the Chip Kelly era.
Jacksonville lit up that secondary pretty
good back in Week 1. But there are plenty
of pass catchers involved. DeSean
Jackson no doubt would love to stick it to
the team that cut him loose, but hes less
than 100 percent with a sprained shoulder.
The last time Philadelphia was involved in
one of these kind of personal battles, it got
the better of Terrell Owens (who caught
only 3 passes for 45 yards). Jackson tends
to get motivated and up for these kind of
games, but were guessing it will be the
return game before he potentially makes
his mark. Pierre Garcon is the healthier
option, but he hasnt made any downfield
catches thus far. His 11 catches have
gone for only 89 yards. Andre Roberts will
chip in (particularly if Jackson is gimpy).
And Washington should get production out
of its tight end. Niles Paul has excelled in
that role the last two weeks, with 12
catches for 185 yards and a touchdown,
but hell likely head back to the bench if
Jordan Reed (hamstring) is able to play.
Jay Gruden says hes hopeful Reed will
return. Were shying away from Kai
Forbath. Were not confident enough
Washington will be competitive. We
have some interest in the Washington
Defense. It has some pass-rush ability; it
had 10 sacks last week. And Nick Foles
does take some hits in that offense; the
Jaguars got him 5 times for sacks in Week
1. Foles was sacked 27 times in 10 starts
last year, which is below average.
ADDITIONAL INJURIES:
ATLANTA: OT Sam Baker (knee, IR) is out
for the year. WR Drew Davis (foot, PUP) is
out until at least Week 7.
CHICAGO: WR Marquess Wilson (shoulder)
is out until at least Week 10.
CINCINNATI: WR Marvin Jones (foot) is out
until at least Week 5. TE Tyler Eifert
(elbow) is out until Week 10. TE Alex Smith
(triceps, IR) is out for the year.
CLEVELAND: RB Ben Tate (knee) is likely
out until Week 5. WR Josh Gordon
(suspension) is out until Week 12.
DENVER: PK Matt Prater (suspension) is
out until Week 6.
GREEN BAY: C J.C. Tretter (knee) is out
until at least Week 9. RT Bryan Bulaga
(knee) is out until at least Week 4.
INDIANAPOLIS: RB Vick Ballard (Achilles,
IR) is out for the year.
JACKSONVILLE: WR Justin Blackmon
(suspension) is out for the year.
KANSAS CITY: RB Jamaal Charles (ankle) is
out indefinitely.
MIAMI: RB Mike Gillislee (hamstring, IR) is
out for the year. RB Knowshon Moreno
(elbow) is out until at least Week 7.
MINNESOTA: WR Jerome Simpson
(suspension) is out until Week 4. RB
Adrian Peterson (suspension) is out
indefinitely. TE Chase Ford (PUP) is out
until at least Week 7.
NEW ORLEANS: RB Mark Ingram (hand) is
out until at least Week 7.
N.Y. GIANTS: G Geoff Schwartz (toe) is out
until at least Week 9. WR Mario
Manningham (calf, IR) is out for the year.
WR Jerrel Jernigan (foot, IR) is out for the
year.
N.Y. JETS: WR Shaq Evans (shoulder, IR) is
out for the year.
OAKLAND: TE Nick Kasa (knee, IR) is out
for the year.
PHILADELPHIA: LG Evan Mathis (knee) is
out until at least Week 10. OT Allen Barbre
(ankle, IR) is out for the year.
ST. LOUIS: QB Sam Bradford (knee, IR) is
out for the year. RB Isaiah Pead (knee, IR)
is out for the year.
SAN DIEGO: C Nick Hardwick (neck, IR) is
out for the year.
SAN FRANCISCO: RB Marcus Lattimore
(knee) is out until at least Week 7. RB
Kendall Hunter (knee, IR) is out for the
year.
SEATTLE: TE Anthony McCoy (Achilles, IR)
is out for the year.
TAMPA BAY: RB Charles Sims (ankle) is out
until at least Week 10.
WASHINGTON: WR Leonard Hankerson
(knee, PUP) is out until at least Week 7.

Fantasy Index Weekly: September 19, 2014 - Friday Supplement (After NFL Injury Report) - 206-527-4444

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FANTASY INDEX WEEKLY

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